


The Custody of Angus McDonald

by blueshine



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Custody Battle, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Legal Drama, canon typical cursing and violence, i SWEAR this is going to end happy please believe me, i do a hits on angus at regular intervals SORRY, most of it is emotional manipulation, nothing super explicit but there is emotional manipulation and poison involved, specific content warnings at the beginning of their respective chapters, there's talk of child abuse but it's offscreen/non-explicit, very sweet moments peppered in between the scary bits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-02-08 11:31:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 109,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12863592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueshine/pseuds/blueshine
Summary: Angus McDonald might be the world's greatest detective, he's still eleven years old. Legally, somebody has to take care of him.





	1. Like Looking in a Mirror

A couple of weeks after the day of Story and Song, Lucretia opened free communications to the moon base. The Bureau of Benevolence received a ridiculous amount of letters and notes. Mostly thank-you notes and fan letters, a few obituaries and questions for the fallen members of the BOB--either way, most everyone on the base received a few letters. Angus McDonald, boy detective, was surprised that even he got a few. Most were from his previous clients, people who were wondering where he ran off to so suddenly, and...

A legal summons.

Angus panicked.

* * *

 

During the Bureau of Balance's shift to becoming the Bureau of Benevolence, some members decided to leave. Living on a fake moon wasn't exactly  _convenient._ And without a specific, finite goal to achieve, it didn't make sense to stay unless you had a really good reason. Lots of guards left. Lower-level administrative workers left. The Bureau of Benevolence was such a different type of organization than the Bureau of Balance. There were growing pains. Davenport offered to take people off the moon in the Starblaster, and given the nauseating nature of the cannon, most people took him up on that offer whenever it was available. This resulted in packed moving days, reminiscent of an end of year college move-out. Angus was on one of the first ships out. He was thankful to not have to operate another cannon. 

Angus already explained the reason for his departure to Lucretia. She was sad to see him go, but after reading his legal summons, she knew it would be more trouble to keep him there. He was such a darling on the moon base. Without Angus, it would be a little too quiet. But Lucretia knew she would have to let him off at some point--the boy had to go to school again soon--but she was very much looking forward to keeping him until the very last second before he needed to be sent back. Wearing his fanciest boy suit and carrying a boy briefcase containing his only belongings (six pieces of silverware, a very beautiful knife from Magnus, his book of Interception, his favorite Caleb Cleveland novels, and a few other items used for detective work), Angus boarded the Starblaster.

He sat near the guardrails of the Starblaster, clutching the letter. He read it over ten times already, and his eyes welled up every time. Just reading the header was enough to wet his glasses. It was silly, he thought. He shouldn't be this upset over something he knew was inevitable. He tucked the letter back into his briefcase, took a fancy handkerchief out of his pocket, and wiped his glasses off. When he put his glasses back on, three figures stood in front of him. Well--one was floating.

"Oh, he-hello, sirs and madam. You're not staying on the base?"

"Nope." Taako grabbed Angus's briefcase without any warning, holding it out of the boy's reach. "Bigger and better business opportunities on the ground. Taako's done with space bullshit." Angus was getting very good at reading between Taako's words. Most likely, he wanted to get away from Lucretia as soon as possible. It was actually surprising that he waited this long, but knowing Taako, he had a lot of things to move and needed to find space to move them. 

A faceless red robed spectral figure floated behind Taako. His sister, Lup, whom Angus was still a little afraid of. The lack of a physical body did not help. "C'mon, give the kid his shit back."

Barry Bluejeans pointed at Angus and directed a cutting whisper to Lup's form. "Babe, language--" 

" _Shit_." Lup's form hiccuped a bit out of surprise. "Nope, let me try again--Pretend you didn't hear that."

"It's alright, ma'am, I've heard cussing before," Angus said, looking at Taako. "But I would, um, like my things back. Please." 

"Barry, love, help him out."

"No need, Barold, I'm giving it back." Taako set the briefcase next to Angus. "I like to keep the boy on his toes. No harm in that." Even though he heard the broadcast, it still threw Angus off to watch Taako cavort with these two strangers. He seemed  _okay_ and  _content_ to josh around with them, on a level that Angus didn't see him do with anyone before. Regaining their memories changed all of the Starblaster crew, but who Taako was and who Taako had become recently...nobody could blame Taako for needing time to adjust. 

Angus opened his briefcase, and everything was in its proper place--except for the legal summons. Taako was reading it. "Sir, please--can I have that back?"

Taako read through the whole thing twice and handed it over to Barry. "I didn't know you had aunts, Agnes."

"Yes...um. They were very angry when I went up to the moon base with no explanation." Angus kicked his feet together.  _Very angry_ was an understatement. 

Lup read the summons over Barry's shoulder. "Whoa, you're getting fought over?"

"Well--my aunt Lauren took care of me before I went to visit my grandfather for the last time, but my aunt Violet took care of me when I was a baby." Angus held his hand out, and Barry handed the summons back over. "My uncle asks to take care of me sometimes, but he's not around anymore, so..."

"What about your parents?" Barry asked, before immediately getting stared down by the twins.  _Barry!_ _What a stupid, bullshit, insensitive question!_

Angus didn't answer. Not because there was an incredibly tragic reason, but he just...didn't really know. His family wasn't sure either. It was a great mystery, one that Angus used to try to solve, but not anymore. He decided to work on solving other people's mysteries--ones that had real answers. 

"Who do you want to live with?" Lup asked.

The boy was quiet for a very long time. It made the twins nervous. "Well...that's a good question. I would prefer to stay on the base, but that doesn't seem to be an option."

"The moon base might be fun, Angus, but maybe your aunts really miss you." Barry said. 

Angus was quiet again. "Um. That's possible."

Taako shot a look over towards Lup. A wild, urgent feeling hit him in the chest. Something about this was wrong, and off, and--"Hey, Agnes, do you want to come see my old setup below deck? Got some pretty cool magic shit down there."

"Yes, sir!" Angus lit up, smiling wide. "Can I show you some of the spells I've been working on, too?"

Taako pat Angus on the back, herding him towards the entrance to the Starblaster's living quarters. "Absolutely." He whispered to Barry and Lup before following Angus. "Just a few minutes, okay?" Barry nodded.

The Starblaster had small rooms, but the old space where the twins used to sleep felt even smaller. Two people crammed into a space meant for one. Except, that's just how the twins liked it. Womb to the tomb, baby--except, now, maybe not. They hadn't had that conversation yet. When was Lup's body going to be ready again? How long was she going to have before being whisked off by the Raven Queen--

No, Taako, focus. This is an Angus emergency. Think about Lup later.

Angus was delighted looking in this room. Of course he had heard the Voidfish broadcast, so he knew what the room looked like. But physically being in here was different. A bag of arcane materials sat on a desk, with materials not even found in this plane. The gravity of the statement _Taako is from another planet_ didn't hit Angus as hard as it did now, with the evidence right in front of him. There were notes written in a language he had never seen, objects of which he didn't know the purpose of, books--dozens of wizard tomes and spell books littered everywhere, next to the shelves they were probably supposed to be on. Angus was delighted, scanning over some of the titles.

"Wow, sir--I've never seen any of these before! Are they all from your home planet?"

"Yeah, of course..."

"Is it okay if I borrow any of them? I think it would be interesting to see how the magic from your planet is different from this one!"

"Oh, sure, go ahead and take what you want. Listen--"

Angus pulled off a low-level transmutation spell book, "Is this what you used to learn your first spells? It looks very, very old! But it's in such good condition. Did you cast some kind of preservation enchantment on it to--"

"Listen, Angus, what's up with your aunts?" Taako spat out. 

Angus froze.

"Like...not that I'm budging into your family drama--"  _Shit,_ this came out sounding awful, "But I'm getting bad vibes off of this letter. It's almost like--it's worded like they're fighting over some kind of heirloom, not a fucking kid," Taako had to say his suspicions out loud, even at the risk of sounding like he cared about the problem. Maybe if he said it out loud, the detective would figure out why the letter made Taako so uneasy. He knew why he was uneasy, but putting it to words wouldn't...

First, it was getting handed over between the family members that  _bothered_ to take them. Then, it was getting fought over-- _who takes them this time? I don't want them._ And then, it was slowly getting kicked out of households, one by one, getting stabbed in the back by the people who were  _supposed_ to take care of them, and then they came up with excuses for why they can't take care of both of them-- _I could take one, but not two--can't we separate them, just for a month?_

"Sir?"

And then they fought back. Screamed. Moved on their own. Didn't care about anybody but each other. Sure, they landed a great job at an interplanar research facility, but that was after  _decades_ of  _horseshit,_ and  _do you have any idea what kind of things we could have done if we had access to a normal life?_ And once they did get a family, _a real one_ , it was ripped apart from them by  _Lucretia--_

_"Sir?"_

_This can't happen again. This can't happen again. If we had so much trouble making it together, how was he going to do it alone? Angus--_

_"SIR!!"_ Angus shouted, worried, shaking Taako back to reality. He tried to shake it off like he wasn't eerily spacing out, but Angus was too smart for that. "Sir, I'll be fine. I know how to act around my aunts! They're not who I would love living with, but I was planning on going to school soon anyway. It won't be for very long!"

"I'm sure." Taako said, his voice cut with a bit of poison, "Go ahead and get your nerd books, Agnes."

"But they're your books, sir, wouldn't that make you a nerd?"

"Fuck off," Taako said, sitting at his old desk and hiding a laugh. The boy could make great comebacks...when he wanted to. And at that moment, an idea struck him. He reached into one of the drawers, finding--yes, it was still here--a handmade book with some of his old notes written inside. All ciphered. Angus might have fun trying to crack it. But giving Angus a glorified Taako-themed activity book wasn't the point. Taako waited until Angus was looking away, and cast a little enchantment on the journal. 

"Here, Angus," Taako handed Angus the journal. "Something to occupy you on the way to your aunts' place." 

Angus took the book eagerly, flipping through. "I can't read any of this...but it's in Common letters. Is this a cipher of some sort?"

"Right on the money as always, aren't you?" Taako also handed Angus a pen so he could try to crack the cipher. "Be careful, there's some real nasty spells in there. It was a studying tool I used for a very long time." He actually forgot what was in there, but hearing about spells and study tools piqued Angus' interest. 

Angus smiled very wide at Taako. 

"Thank you, sir!" 

And the way Angus looked at him, eyes bright and expectant and--ugh, Taako couldn't handle it, seeing Angus like this. He was about to be handed off to some (probably) no-good relatives. And after a few years, without any intervention, Taako knew it would take a toll on this precious magic boy. He'd seen it before. A thought jabbed at the back of his mind, and it kept jabbing until it was time to leave the Starblaster. It jabbed as he waved Angus goodbye, as he boarded a train with his family, as he sat down for dinner, as he...


	2. Always a Third Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A preliminary meeting to determine custody comes with a big surprise. Angus' aunts argue. Magnus punches a door open.

The Goldcliff courthouse was big, gaudy, and marbled. In other words, a plain Goldcliff building. Lawyers and clients entered and exited the building at all times; Goldcliff was a big city with big lawsuits. Angus sat just inside the courthouse, waiting to be called into a small hearing room. His case was being processed carefully--as a minor character in the Voidfish broadcast, this was an awfully big case. Some gossips gathered outside to see if anyone famous would testify; maybe even one of the birds. That would be a show, wouldn't it? The attention left a sour taste in Angus' mouth. This wasn't a show, this was his  _life._

_It was just a consultation. No decisions would be made today. Everything was going to be fine._

He had to keep telling himself that.

Even though he was the World's Greatest Detective, he wasn't able to convince the judge to allow him to claim his own custody. He was only eleven years old. Angus McDonald needed a legal guardian, no matter how smart and self-sufficient he was. It's not as if Angus could buy a house or get a job while he was in school. Angus needed support. He was, however, allowed to put in a preference--Aunt Violet, or Aunt Lauren? Angus abstained from giving an answer immediately, claiming he wanted to see the facts laid out in the hearing. 

But honestly, he didn't have a preference. Either option was bad. 

No, he had to take his mind off of this. Angus opened the journal Taako had given him; mulling over this cipher would burn some time. He checked the letters, seeing if he could find any patterns. A, J, D, P...he couldn't find anything that jumped out to him. There wasn't any code or key in the back, either. But this was Taako, it would be disappointing if it was a simple cipher. Angus checked to see if he could find the word "the," but every three-letter word was different. That's strange. This excluded a few ciphers--not a Caesar cipher, or any other simple substitution ciphers...

Angus stopped once he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello, Aunt Violet," Angus said to a woman in her mid-30s dressed in fancy violet business wear. She looked very much like Angus--the way her nose turned down, the fullness in her cheeks, the roundness in her eyes, the tight, coiled curls in her hair...Violet was a put-together type of beautiful. Always manicured, clean, and crisp. She moved with purpose. Sort of like Lucretia, but without the warmness in her voice, or her bawdy, genuine laugh--

Oh--oh, no, Angus couldn't start thinking about the Director here. He already missed the moon base.

"Good morning, Angus. No fears, I will personally ensure that woman never touches you again." Violet kissed Angus on the forehead. It felt...clinical. Forced. Like she  _had_ to. 

"That's, um. That's a very nice thing for you to say, Aunt Violet." 

Violet held Angus by the side of the head and positioned him to lean against her. He didn't--he wasn't in a good mental place to get a hug right now, but for Violet's sake he returned the gesture. It was always a little disappointing to be with Aunt Violet. Angus was smart enough to make his own schedule long ago, but she insisted on him doing things on her time, throwing off Angus' rhythm. Things were to be done her way, at her time, to her pleasure. And he really wasn't in the mood to be touched right now, by this woman, but she wanted it and got it. 

"Hey, hey. Hands off, bitch." 

A second woman had walked into the hall. She was older than Violet, but dressed like she was twenty. She was not Angus' blood relative--an in-law. Married to his uncle, but then divorced. Somehow, still trying to barge in on Angus' life. 

"Hello, Aunt Lauren," Angus said to the second woman, with less enthusiasm. At least this was an excuse to stop hugging Violet. 

Aunt Lauren nodded silently, handing Angus a stale candy bar. The expiration date was for...two months ago. That's Aunt Lauren. If Violet was too controlling, then Lauren just plumb didn't care. Angus had lived under her roof for two years, and never saw her exert any sort of parental care. Sure, Angus was a bright boy, but he was still a boy. He never found any support or comfort in Aunt Lauren. She treated him like an adult. But he wasn't. He still needed a childhood. He deserved that. 

"Bribing him, Lauren?" asked Violet, pulling Angus close to her again. 

"At least I give him nice things, Violet." answered Lauren, with the least subtle passive-aggressive tone.

"Well, I wasn't the one who took my eyes off of him and allowed him to be initiated into a  _cult_."

"The, um, Bureau isn't a cult, ma'am..." Angus chimed in, but was ignored.

"Kid wasn't initiated, he was kidnapped! How could I have prevented that?"

Violet and Lauren argued over Angus until a young paralegal stepped out into the hallway. She carried a stack of files and led the family into a small, private room. The paralegal had a seat for Angus next to her. Across the desk, his aunts sat next to each other. "Good morning! Well, today isn't very exciting, but hopefully we can avoid a hearing or a trial altogether if this goes well." 

"I'm not backing down," Lauren said, shutting the paralegal down.

"I am not either." added Violet.

"Okay! I suppose we can start negotiations, and then we will have to set a date for the hearing..." The paralegal adjusted her glasses, reading over the case file. "So it looks like...three parties are vying to obtain legal custody over you, Angus McDonald."

"Three?" said Violet and Lauren together, equally shocked.

Three? Who else would have asked for custody? Angus ran a list through his head. It couldn't be his uncle, and his grandfather had already passed...unless his parents suddenly shot out from obscurity, there weren't any other family members Angus could go to. Was there a distant cousin that heard about him on the broadcast? There was no way Angus could live with somebody he didn't know--too many variables, too much room for error. Angus would have to put out his preference early to explicitly say he  _didn't_ want to be with this distant relative. 

"Yes, three. Violet McDonald, Lauren McDonald, and..." the paralegal adjusted her glasses, reading the paper over again to see if this was really the correct name. "...Taako from TV?" 

The name glazed over Angus. Did he mishear? "I'm sorry, who...who was that?"

The paralegal showed the file to Angus, and, yes, right there: Taako's signature. "Taako, you know, from TV? You know him, Angus, I know you know him--we all heard the story." 

Of course Angus knew him, he was  _just_ speaking to him  _yesterday._ Why would he file for custody? And why wasn't he here? Taako wasn't a dad, he wasn't a parent...this was strange. Angus thought the world of Taako. But admiring somebody and becoming their legal responsibility are two completely different things. Taako was still reeling from regaining his memories, was he even in the correct state of mind to _adopt a child?_

All of Angus' questions were thrown out as soon as the doors to the office opened.

Standing in the door frame was Taako. From TV. He wasn't dolled up like he usually was, either. He was...a mess? No, he looked fine. It just wasn't the Taako brand. All his jewelry and rings were gone. No weapons or magic items. It was still weird seeing him without the umbra staff. Somebody had combed out and slicked back his hair, put him in a--pfft, a--a--a _suit_? Somehow, it was fitted, but still two sizes too big, and...Oh no. Did he borrow that from Kravitz? Either way, he did not look comfortable. It looked like, almost as if...

As if Taako was trying to look "normal."

Somehow, seeing him like this allowed Angus to put some faith into Taako. _He's taking this seriously. He means it. Don't ask why, just accept that there's a third option now._

Taako pulled up a third chair, sitting down in between Violet and Lauren without acknowledging them. Both aunts were offended; this guy? In charge of Angus? Sure, they knew who he was and everything about him, but there was no way in hell he could take care of a child. 

Angus could see it on his face; Taako was _nervous._ His smile said _I don't know what I'm doing._ His hands said _am I supposed to be here?_ His eyes said _there's so much at stake here._ His knee bounced up and down nervously. His fingers fidgeted. His ears were down. It was baffling, seeing Taako like this.

Finally, he sputtered out a few words.

"Sorry for being late? I didn't know which room you had my boy in."

_My boy._

The paralegal glanced over at Angus, and then wrote a few sentences in the file. It took Angus a moment to realize he was grinning. Taako raised his voice again, unsettled in his seat.

"Uh, so, do I just take him and go, or...?"

"No, sir, you have to come back for hearings and court appearances until we reach a verdict." The paralegal chuckled. Even as a nervous wreck, Taako charmed everyone around him. "It might take a few months."

"That's fine, I'm in this for the long game."

"You think it's some kind of game?!" Violet said, finally snapping, "This is a child!"

"You baby him too much," Lauren cut in, "He can take care of himself, you know."

"He's eleven years old, Lauren!"

"He solves _murders_."

Lauren and Violet spiraled each other into a shouting match, with Taako caught in the middle. Both aunts shouted over him, causing him to sink into his seat a bit. He had only been in this meeting for two minutes, and Angus could already see how _exhausted_ he was. Taako actively avoided situations like this.

The paralegal shushed the aunts, getting the meeting back on track. "Given the relationship between your aunts, we're going to assign you to live with a foster family until this is all settled. There were a lot of volunteers, considering you were in the broadcast, but I think I found the most suitable one." The paralegal stood up, leaving the room. "I'll be right back. Just fetching your temporary guardian." 

The paralegal left, and immediately the air in the office felt like it was made of stone. The aunts were staring holes into Taako. Taako fiddled with his horribly gelled hair. Angus drummed fingers on his briefcase. There was silence. Terrifying silence. Hostile silence.

And then...

"MAGNUS!"

A burly brick house of a man punched-- _hold on, did he just punch the door open?_ Magnus punched the door open. The aunts, again, terrified. Another bird? Another celebrity to keep Angus away from them? Taako was also terrified, but for a different reason: he didn't know Magnus was going to be here. Seeing him like this. He didn't think _anyone_ would know about this, it was supposed to stay a secret, _this was so, so, so embarrassing._

Angus was delighted, knowing he wouldn't be staying with a stranger. The paralegal explained that Magnus was staying in a rental house in Goldcliff until he was able to make a permanent residence in Raven's Roost again, so he would be the perfect guardian of Angus. At least until the trial was over. Magnus called Angus to him, and the boy happily ran over.

"Legally, the three of you won't be able to know Angus' address, but you are allowed to contact Magnus and ask for a visitation. But he has to be present for all of them, and you need to keep a record of who visits and how long." That meant Magnus could be called in as a witness in court, if the aunts did anything funny. "And, of course, if you want to visit anybody, Angus..."

Angus nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I'll let Magnus know."

"Quick to learn. So, the next time we're all meeting..." The paralegal informed them of a few dates, and left them outside the courthouse.

Lauren left first. No words. Violet hugged Angus, saying a few empty promises about getting him away from these people. Taako tried to leave without any fanfare, to just run back to the hotel he was staying at, but Magnus--

"Taako! I didn't know you filed for custody!"

Oof. Taako turned to see Magnus, arm around Angus, waving politely towards him. "Yeah?"

Magnus was grinning, getting up in Taako's personal space. An intimidation tactic he cultivated on the Starblaster, and then remembered recently. Of course, the wizard ducked the _fuck_ out of the way, walking backwards with a sense of grace that Angus thought he'd lost after being so embarrassed in the meeting.

"You never struck me as a dad, Taako!"

"Fuck you, I'm not doing it because I want a kid. Angus is a delicate magic boy, he can't be left with those _trainwrecks._ "

"Does your _boyfriend_ know?"

" _None of your business!_ " His voice was climbing in pitch, cracking at the end of each sentence. "When did you get so _nosy?!_ " Taako wished he had his hat so he could pull it over his head.

"Sir, you know you don't have to do this, right?"

Taako sputtered. He was trying to say something, but it wasn't coming out. "Don't worry 'bout me, Agnes, I know what I'm doing." That would have to do.

"Hey Angus, I saw a bakery on the way here; want to go get something to take back to the house?" Magnus asked, patting Angus on the back.

"Yes, sir!"

Magnus caught Taako as he was trying to sneak away. "Taako?"

" _What_?"

"Did you want to come, too?"

Taako blinked. "No, no, he's, um. He's yours to take out, that's your job right now." Fuck, what was he saying?

Magnus shrugged. He and Angus waved Taako goodbye, and walked down the sidewalk, away from Taako. That jabbing feeling came back and struck Taako's heart. _Stop it._ He ruffled his hair so it wasn't goofy and slicked back anymore, called Barry on his stone of Farspeech, and left to go be with his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support from the first chapter! I was going to wait to publish the second one, but I figured I should get this out because I couldn't wait to establish a few things in the story. I've got some...good things planned for this one.


	3. Learn to Cope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus makes a few calls. Taako has trouble convincing his family he's serious. Angus holds an interrogation.

Magnus' rental house was on the outskirts of Goldcliff proper, and to both Magnus and Angus' relief, didn't follow the gaudy aesthetic that most of Goldcliff conformed to. Small, inexpensive, warm. A little bit in the seedy part of town. Barely a four-room house: den, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. Simple as hell. It was very Magnus, but none of his things were lying around. There was a bag full of adventuring gear and magic items, which gave Angus the impression that Magnus rented this house _specifically_ to take care of him during the trial.

Magnus dropped a box from the bakery onto a table in front of the fireplace. The hearth had a cozy eating area around it, meant for no more than three people. "Want to cut into this now?" Magnus asked.

"No, sir...if it's alright, I was actually going to study some magic for a bit," Angus said as he took some books out of his briefcase, "I'll, um, talk to you later?"

"Cool, cool," Magnus smiled, watching Angus leave the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, Magnus called someone on his stone of Farspeech, whispering into it frantically. " _Lucretia_ , what does it mean when a kid doesn't want to eat cake?"

A rustling sound from the other end, and then Lucretia's voice came through. "Are you talking about Angus? You were accepted as his temporary guardian?"

"Yeah, that wasn't a problem..." Magnus rolled the stone between his fingers. He had heard about Angus' trial from Lucretia. She couldn't live in Goldcliff for months while the trial went on, so naturally Magnus offered to watch Angus in her stead. "But I think he's got something on his mind."

"Of course he does, Magnus, he's stuck in the middle of a custody battle between his aunts."

"And Taako."

"And _Taako_?" Lucretia fell silent, having trouble finding the right words. Why would Taako apply for custody? "I'm having a hard time imagining that."

"Right? You should have seen him, Lucretia, he was in a _suit._ " Magnus heard Lucretia giggle on the other end. "I mean, he'd be fine, but I just can't see it. Especially not after--well."

"I know." There was a hint of guilt in her voice, and then silence.  

"I'll, uh, keep you posted."

"Please do." Lucretia paused, "And Magnus, this is not a bear hug situation. Give Angus a little bit of space tonight, okay?"

"I can do that. Talk to you later," Magnus said, hanging up. Was this really okay? Once he had seen Taako apply for custody, Magnus almost considered doing the same--but honestly, he didn't know how to take care of a kid. Taako wasn't taking this seriously, this had to be some kind of distraction. He didn't seem right.

* * *

 Angus counted the letters in Taako's journal. Each sentence, each page had an even number of letters. Okay. That narrows it down. This must be a cipher that uses filler letters or letters for spaces, to throw off somebody trying to crack it. Something like this is difficult to crack without a key. Angus took some time trying to brute force a sentence that he thought he recognized a coded "and" in.

Angus' mind wandered back to the courthouse.

He had seen custody cases before. Angus was great to bring onto some of the nastier cases even though it wasn't his specialty--the children being fought over were often more willing to talk to another kid. Cases like this rarely ended well. When there wasn't a good option, some kids decided to just run. And convincing a runaway to come back to the court because _of course the court will come out with the best decision..._ that's a lie. Angus saw a lot of bad verdicts. Angus knew he wasn't in a good position, being caught in the middle of his aunts. Violet, or Lauren? Two options.

Wait. Three options.

Was Taako really an option, or was this a stunt? A gag? Something to tease him with? He wondered if Taako would even come to the next meeting. He wouldn't. This was all a trick, wasn't it? He wasn't coming to the hearing. That's ridiculous.

But what if he did?

If he did show up, there's hardly a chance he would win. It's very difficult to claim custody of a child you're not related to. It's even more difficult when the child you're claiming has living relatives. Taako wasn't married either, and the courts usually had a bias against single parents owning full custody. The courts were also a little reluctant to pair up children and parents of completely different races.

But what if he won?

Would Angus have to call him _dad?_ No way. He couldn't imagine that.

Angus needed to get to the bottom of this. Of Taako's intentions.

Tomorrow, he'd ask Magnus to let him visit Taako.

* * *

Taako and Barry, first and foremost, were waiting for Lup's body to be ready. Until then, no discussions about where to live, their contract with the Raven Queen--this was a time to just cool it. Lup hovered next to one of them at all times, but it didn't take any space to house her. Taako insisted on staying in Goldcliff for the trial, so he and Barry were living (Lup too--if you could call it living) in a short-term rental apartment. Taako picked out the place (Barry said he didn't care), so obviously they were in a fancy high-rise.

It had been one day since Taako came back from the court, and he still hadn't talked about it to Lup and Barry. Lup phased her head through the wall to the kitchen, watching Taako without him knowing.

"What's he doing in there?" Barry asked.

Lup took her head out of the wall. "Baking his feelings. We should really talk to him, I think we've waited long enough." Lup hated giving him space. After regaining his memories, she had to keep a certain amount of distance away when things went wrong. Of course, she hated this. She wanted to know what was wrong and how she could fix it _now._ Distant Taako was not normal Taako. Sure, he took his sweet time warming up to people, but once he did he was good to go. This was just...wrong.

"You try first." Barry barely finished the sentence and--oh, Lup was already phasing through the wall again.

Taako was...going through some shit. Lup knew that. There was a lot on his mind, and she hadn't yet peeled away all the layers of bullshit he'd been building up over ten years. At the same time, he was and wasn't her brother. He would never leave her hanging before, but here he is; in the kitchen, trying to bake his feelings away instead of just talking through them. He didn't even notice her float through the wall, didn't acknowledge her existence--sifting this flour was _obviously_ the most important thing on his to-do list.

"Taako," Lup started, startling Taako--he dropped his sifter. Flour puffed out in all directions, covering Taako's face.

"Fucking hell, give me a little warning next time!"

" I did. I flew through a wall." Lup couldn't help but laugh. "How'd the hearing go?"

"It's not until next week. It was just a preliminary meeting this time," Taako said, wiping flour off of his face and clothes. "Also, I'm fucking banning you from dressing me for court. Everyone looked at me like I grew an extra eye."

Admittedly, she and Barry dressed him like that because they thought he was joking. "Come on, I thought you would like stealing your boyfriend's clothes. It was more official than anything you own."

"It's not on brand." Taako picked the sifter off the ground, setting it back on the counter. "You know he's going to ask why there's fucking gel on the shoulders."

"You mean, you didn't _tell him?_ "

Taako grimaced, looking for some kind of escape out of this. "Not _yet?_   Listen, I've only been on this for two days. I haven't even seen him since then!"

"Then how'd you get a hold of the suit?" Her voice was smug.

"Hey, fuck you." Ouch, that didn't feel like a joke. 

Great, Lup, paint him into a corner. That'll _really_ help.

It sucked, that Lup had to solve a fucking puzzle to get her brother to talk now. There was a minefield of things she couldn't say now. She was back, they were all together, why was he acting like this? Was this going to be permanent?

Whatever it was, Lup had to figure out how to deal.

"Taako," Lup said, in the softest voice she could manage, "Why aren't you telling me what's on your mind? Hell, why aren't you telling _anyone_ what's on your mind? I could bring Barry in, if you've got a problem with me."

"In no reality have I ever or will I ever have a problem with you." That felt like a lie, but okay.

"Then tell me what's going on?" Lup floated so her hood was eye level with him.

Taako reached for Lup's hand, but of course nothing happened. She wasn't solid. "When's your body going to be ready?"

"Soon. Barry's got a countdown going." She floated closer to him, hoping it wasn't too spooky. "Don't change the subject."

He turned away from her form, back towards his baking. "I'm fine, Lup. Really. You're back. That's it. Yipee." Taako said this in an unnervingly flat voice, but Lup was interrupted by his stone of Farspeech before she could say anything.

The stone lit up, and Magnus' voice rang through. "Hey, Taako, Angus wants to see you."

Taako's heart stopped. "Yeah?"

"Can I bring him over to...wherever you are?"

"Yeah?" _Fuck, Taako, is that all you can squeak out?_

"Great, uh...where are you?" Taako spat out the address, Magnus thanked him, and _oh, oh shit. They're on their way._ Taako had to--he had to finish these macaroons, he had to sift this flour--

"Taako, come on, talk to me."

"Lup, I'm not--" But Lup had left the room during Taako's conversation with Magnus. She was restraining herself more often now, giving him privacy. Barry stood in front of Taako now. "Barold?"

"Need an extra hand?"

"I know better than to let you touch anything on my counter." Taako paused, looking between Barry and the dough he was trying to finish. "But you can stay. Pull up a chair or something. Looks like you've got something to say."

If Taako was willing to talk to Barry and not his sister--

"I was going to ask about that kid."

" _Angus_."

"Yeah. Are you sure you want to get involved with his family?" Barry chose his words carefully. He wouldn't be able to do anything to help if Taako shut him down. "You can have a soft spot for the kid without flat out adopting him."

"It's not..." _It's not just a soft spot._ "Look, why's it so hard for you people to believe I'm taking this seriously?"

Seems like Barry was in. Maybe he could push it, just a little bit. "This is the most not-Taako thing I've seen you do. And that's including everything from before you remembered us. It's not bad, but do you understand why it's freaking everyone out?" Barry laid a hand on Taako's shoulder, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Taako doesn't do anything predictable." Taako didn't look at Barry, avoided eye contact as much as he could. Just...keep the eyes on the dough. "Listen, I'm going to ask Angus if he wants me to drop out. If he does, I will. I wanted to give him some options, is that strange?"

"No. That's fine." Barry gave him some space. "Why couldn't you tell that to Lup?"

"Barold, leave it."

"But--"

" _Barry_." Taako turned to look at Barry. Why did he look so _exhausted?_

Whoops. Pushed too far.

"Alright." Barry stayed in the kitchen, but Taako stopped speaking to him. Barry was waiting for him to say something else. After a few minutes, both of them heard a knock from the front of the apartment.

* * *

Lup greeted Magnus and Angus at the door. Kind of scary watching the door open without a physical person behind it, but everything with Lup was scary these days.

"Afternoon, Lup!" Magnus was happy to see her; he had seen her terrifying lich form enough to be numb to it. Angus was at his side, less okay with the scary disembodied robe floating above him.

"Magnus? What are you doing with Angus?"

"I'm the one watching him while the trial goes down." He ran a hand through Angus' hair.

"Oh, sweet, we've got some time to catch up!" As Lup was getting excited, she looked over towards Angus again. "Right...Taako's in the kitchen. Next room over."

"Thank you, ma'am." Angus made his way to the kitchen. Lup watched him leave, but right as he was about to go through the door, she noticed something in his hands.

"Wait, wait, what's that?" Lup pointed at Taako's old journal, secured firmly in Angus' arms.

"It's a mystery for me to solve!" Angus beamed, "Taako gave it to me when we were on the Starblaster to, uh, take my mind off of all of this. I have some hypothesis for how the cipher works, but I wanted to show him my progress!"

Angus didn't wait for any feedback, and rushed through the door. Magnus turned to Lup, asking, "You've seen that journal before?"

"Yeah."

"What's in it?"

"Stuff." She crossed her arms, speaking quietly. "I can't believe Taako gave it away. Probably just _forgot_ about it."

* * *

Angus ran into the kitchen to find Barry Bluejeans, a near stranger, and his...

Oh, no, he wasn't going there yet.

Barry saw an immediate tension between Angus and Taako. Poor kid; caught in the middle of Taako's crisis. After a slightly too long moment of silence, Angus spoke up. "Hello, sirs! What are you making in here?"

"Barold's not making shit. I'm baking up some macaroons, 'natch, you know that's my go-to." All of Taako's words were exactly what you'd expect him to say, but he delivered all of them in a tone that sounded nothing like him. His voice sounded sick, the timing in between his words didn't flow, the whole thing felt off.

Barry glanced down at Angus' book. "You brought something to read?"

"No, sir, this is a ciphered journal." Angus held the journal up towards Taako. "I'm still trying to figure it out, but I thought I could show you what I've worked out so far?"

"No can do, Ango, that would be cheating." He handed the journal back to the boy, "Also, make sure you keep that in your bag all the time. It's important to write down things when you think of them."

"I have been."  Working on the cipher had been very helpful to Angus; took his mind off of the custody case. Speaking of which... "I was also hoping to talk about the meeting yesterday."

"Sure, 'course, no problem. Barold?" Taako shooed Barry out of the kitchen. Barry didn't object--being in between these two was nerve-wracking. Once Taako checked to see if anybody was listening in, he walked back over to Angus. "What's on your mind?" He had a good idea of what it was, but might as well hear it from the source.

"Not to be disrespectful, sir, but why would you do this?" 

"Yeesh, I thought this was coming..." Taako leaned up against the counter. It took a minute for him to find an answer. "Honestly, Angus, I'm not gonna barge in on your family if you don't want me to. But I heard what you said about them and automatically didn't like them. And the whole situation kind of reminded me of..." Taako stopped. 

"Sir?"

"You little shit!" Taako said, although he was grinning and holding back laughter, "Did you fucking--did you cast Zone of Truth on me?"

Angus smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry, I really needed an honest answer. If it makes you feel any better, I failed to resist it too."

"Fine, then let me ask  _you_ something." Taako was actually laughing at this point. He calmed himself down, because this was kind of a serious question, "Do you want to live with your aunts?"

"Not at all. I can't stand them." Angus hadn't said that out loud yet. He said it with too much _malice_ for a boy his age. "Are you serious about your claim?"

"Yeah, 'course. Can't leave a magic boy like you with people like that." Hearing Angus speak so coldly of his aunts...Taako needed to know more. As much as possible. "Angus...care to tell me a little more about your aunts? You don't have to, but I'd like to know what I'm up against." 

The boy didn't say anything.

Taako turned away from him, trying to save face. "Again, I get it, don't say it if you don't want to, but--even if you don't tell me, it might be a good idea to tell the lawyers or something? I still don't know how the judicial system here works--fuck, I mean--I'll figure it out, that's not a problem for Taako." Angus was still quiet. Eerily so? Taako turned back to see if he was okay, and he--

Angus was crying. Hard.

Without skipping a beat, Taako brought him in for a hug.

He didn't expect to; Taako was still very, very confused about who he could put this kind of trust into. But hugging Angus at this moment just felt _natural._ He had a hand on his back and on his head, patting him softly and swaying side to side in a gentle rhythm. No eye contact. In fact, Taako was looking anywhere that wasn't Angus. It made Taako's stomach drop, doing this, but judging by how Angus held him back? This was necessary.

And it felt... _fine_.

"Sir?"

Taako snapped out of it. The intense wave of calmness he was riding dropped back into a sea of discomfort and uncertainty. "Ye-yeah? Look, I didn't mean to drag all that out."

"No, sir, it's alright, I--I haven't really _spoken_ to anybody about this."

This was ridiculous.

"Alright, Ango, conjure yourself an apron and I'll teach you to put a little flavor into a macaroon. The last ones were a little lacking." Little lacking? No, those didn't taste like _anything._ But baking wasn't the ultimate goal here. "And, hey, if you feel like talking about your aunts, or anything about the trial, go for it."

"Not that I don't want to bake with you, but...why right now?"

Without much warning, Taako plopped a big mass of dough into Angus's hands. "I find working through a recipe helps smooth these things over. Nice to have something to do with your hands while you work through a problem."

Angus did, wringing dough and whisking filling while laying out all the problems he had with his aunts. It was strange to hear Angus shit-talking so openly. Taako listened, only cutting in to give macaroon instructions. Hearing about his aunts confirmed Taako's fears; these women were _bad news._ They reminded him too much of the relatives he and Lup had to live with when they were very young. Two years down the line, the aunts would probably kick Angus out of the house to fend for himself, or take everything away from him, or something equally damaging.

The macaroons were alright. Angus didn't take to baking as quickly as he did wizardry. It just wasn't his thing--but Angus did feel better after finishing them. He hadn't even realized how stressed he was until after he finished. He didn't feel good after venting, but he felt neutral. Brought back to a safe state of mind.

* * *

_It's not eavesdropping if I don't listen in._

Lup had phased her head through the wall discreetly, watching to see what was going _on_ with her brother. She didn't need to hear anything, just seeing how Taako acted around this kid was enough. And without any prodding, as soon as the kid needed it, he just--

He didn't know where to look. He was nervous. It was super awkward. Despite this, Taako kept holding on. He may have gone cold towards people in the past ten years, but he was so warm and comforting with this boy. Taako didn't handle it perfectly, but he was _trying,_ and it had been _so long since she saw him trying._

_And then he was baking with the kid._   She didn't hear what they were talking about, but they were _talking,_ and it looked like Taako was helping.

She took her head out of the wall, turning to Barry. "Babe, we need to talk."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lup didn't have a face, but her voice was smiling. "I just want us to have a game plan for extracting our nephew out of legal limbo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to all ya'll in the comments screaming over the boys. I love them too!
> 
> Next time, we're going to COURT! For real this time!


	4. Emotions as Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry's not bad as a lawyer. Taako panics.

The judge already favored aunt Violet because she was a blood relative of Angus. Aunt Lauren wasn't held in high regards, but she was ahead of Taako. It baffled the public-- _Taako? From TV? There's no way._ Of course, this meant the trial had a large audience. Strangers wanted to ask Angus about how he felt, but Magnus kept a tight grip on the kid.

Both of the aunts' lawyers were dragging Taako through the mud, trying to take him out of the running as early as possible. They brought up a conversation on the Rockport Limited when Taako and his friends told Angus it was "easy to murder." When Angus claimed it was very easy to _not_ murder, Taako told him that "everyone has dry spells." They brought up how Taako _threw Angus off of a moving train._ They brought up the fact that Taako couldn't answer his stone of Farspeech when Angus really needed it, once while they were fighting Hodgepodge and once after Barry destroyed his stone. They brought up how Taako left Angus unattended at Jess the Beheader's wrestling show, putting the boy directly into harm's way. They brought up the incessant amount of teasing, jabbing, and bullying of Angus McDonald.

The question had shifted from _Who should take custody of Angus McDonald_ to _Should Taako even be allowed alone with the boy?_

Taako sat in his seat, listening to all of these things that he was very guilty of being read off. He wasn't in a suit today; this hearing had an audience, and Taako had a brand to keep up on. Usually, he would be fine with an audience, but he was more nervous here than in the preliminary meeting. Everybody stared at him in between statements. Normally, he would love to be stared at, but...

"They're worried you're here," whispered Barry, "They know you're his favorite."

Barry and Lup had taken a sudden interest in helping Taako. They didn't explain why. It took a bit of convincing for Taako to accept help, but he agreed once he realized they weren't going to slick back his hair as a prank anymore. Lup promised not to come to court until she had her body back--didn't want to scare the jurors. Barry had taken time out to study how Faerun ran its courts, and how people won past custody cases. Taako had bullshitted himself out of lots of situations, but he had a feeling that wouldn't work here. Thankfully, Barry was enough of a nerd to come up with a good defense.

Barry stood from his seat. "You're taking those situations out of context--"

"Is there context for almost _murdering_   my nephew?" Violet interrupted.

Her laywer cut in. "Violet, please, you must let him say his defense."

"I apologize..." She said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief in a practiced motion. "It's _just so much_." Taako rolled his eyes. Bullshit.

After waiting a moment to make sure there weren't any more outbursts, Barry started his defense. "I understand your concern, but let's look at this logically. Angus boarded the train and came to the Bureau of Balance's moonbase of his own will. He was aware there was a serial killer on the Rockport Limited; he's been trained to handle those situations. He had a crossbow on his person for self defense. Taako was the first person on the Rockport mission to trust Angus and give him information--information that allowed him to help catch the serial killer. Every other time you claim Angus was in danger, he was actually under Lucretia's watch, and never alone." Barry paused for a moment, looking to Taako before continuing. "This world isn't in danger anymore. I doubt Angus will come across situations that will put himself in a fraction of the amount of danger he's faced before. If Taako could keep Angus alive while collecting the grand relics, I think taking care of him domestically would be a cakewalk."

Something about hearing Barry say _domestically_ made Taako's head spin.

"He still threw the boy off of the train," said Lauren's lawyer.

Barry raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer Angus stay boarded on a train that was going to crash?"

The jurors murmured amongst themselves, generally agreeing with Barry.

"Putting aside the _literal murder_   and _child endangerment,_ he's still rude to the boy," said Violet's lawyer, cutting off the chatter from the jurors.

"You can't judge Taako for how he treated Angus before the Voidfish broadcast," Barry said, "I'd argue he wasn't even the same person."

"It's not as if the Voidfish took away his morals," said Lauren's lawyer. The jurors seemed to agree with her.

"That's not true. You know that as well as anybody. Unless you didn't hear the broadcast?" Barry had to turn this back around to their favor, quick, but the judge and jury were back on the aunts' side. "Being separated from his sister affected him in a lot of ways. More than I could list in a reasonable amount of time."

The judge cut in. "Please, use more recent evidence. The court is judging him as a guardian _now,_ not a hundred years ago."

"Fine." Barry thought for a moment and then turned over to where Angus was sitting. "Angus, when is magic day?"

"Every Thursday, sir," Angus answered, his eyes lighting up, "So, tomorrow?" He looked expectantly towards Taako.

Taako grinned, picking up on what Barry was getting at. "Hell yeah, we've got to work on your magic missile!"

"Excuse me, what is magic day?" Lauren asked, annoyed. 

"Um, Taako is my magic mentor and magic day is when we go over spells I need to practice over the next week. He offered to teach me one day, and, I wasn't sure if he was serious, because he had done some elaborate bits to tease me. But he hasn't missed a single lesson and his feedback is very helpful."

The jury seemed to like that answer.

The judge did too, and asked Angus to come up to the podium. "Would you consider Taako a good teacher?"

Angus hopped over to the podium, speaking cheerfully. "He was a good teacher before, but now that he's remembered all of his magic, he's even better. And he puts the goofs away during lessons, except for one time when I did a goof on him. Sometimes, when I'm still figuring out a spell, it's a little nerve-wracking and I can't get it right? But he's very patient when I do that."

The judge turned to look at Taako. "How is Angus as a student?"

Taako was hesitant to answer. He never experienced stage fright, but the way the entire court looked at him today... "Uh, y'know, he makes progress quicker than I thought he would. It sucks when he reads ahead and learns spells on his own, 'cause then I have to make a new lesson plan on the fly, but that's not even a problem for a bomb-ass wizard like I am. But whatever, he's basically the perfect student and he's probably going to be the second best wizard on the planet in, like, a year."

Angus was beaming. Taako didn't like the way the court was looking at him, but they seemed pleased to hear his answer.

"Well, Angus and I love crocheting together." Aunt Violet said.

A lawyer nudged Lauren, who frantically spoke up. "Yeah, and, he used to be a big help in the office when I had him."

The judge was ignoring both of the aunts. "Taako, do you enjoy teaching Angus?"

"I mean, yeah? He's a smart kid. No complaints here." It was a short answer, and the court kept looking at him like he should elaborate, but Taako didn't budge. Nope, not going to get personal in a fucking courtroom. There were journalists here, the papers wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

Well, that put a damper on the court's favor to Taako.

Thankfully, Barry was able to pick up some of the slack and gain some more favor to Taako. The court adjourned for a ten minute recess shortly after. Magnus took Angus into one of the side rooms, away from his aunts and Taako. The lawyers went to go speak to their respective aunts. Barry took Taako outside.

"Taako, please. You kind of have to...put in some emotional persuasion in here? You almost got everyone onto your side, but..."

" _It's none of their business_."

"It kind of is? You're convincing people to let you take care of a child?" Barry frowned. He was trying to be sympathetic, but Taako needed to pull his weight too.  _Ugh, this wouldn't have been a problem on the Starblaster--_ "You don't need to get into painful details, but a little bit of charm would help."

"I'll figure it out, sure." Taako crossed his arms. It hurt Barry to see him so closed off like this. He seemed fine in most casual settings. Hell, he was even flirting with _death_. Everything was great until pressure was put on, and then Taako was cut off, shut down, closed for business. And he'd been like this ever since he picked up Angus' case.

When everyone returned after recess, the subject turned away from Taako. At the very least, hearing about the magic lessons allowed the jury to consider Taako as a possible candidate. They didn't come to a decision--nobody wanted to move it too quickly. Angus McDonald was a very important child. This needed to be treated carefully. The judge decided this case needed a few special investigations, but needed time to put the whole operation together. The next court date would be in a week. 

Magnus walked Angus out of the courthouse after Lauren and Violet said goodbye to Angus. Neither of them were being genuine. Angus could tell. He saw Taako and Barry talking outside, and ran up to them.

"Sirs?"

The two of them froze. Looks like Angus caught them in the middle of something important. Barry spoke up first. "Hey, Angus. Are you getting through this okay?"

"Yes, it's not too hard to watch." Angus turned to address Taako. "I, um, appreciate what you said about me, sir. When you were talking about the lessons."

Something was...off about him. He flashed Angus a crooked smile, shrugging. "Eh, I mean. Don't get used to it? Did it for the court...speaking of lessons, are you up for any tomorrow?"

Angus smiled, nodding. "Yes! Of course!"

"When do you usually start them? I'll bring him over," Magnus said.

"Noon?" Taako's voice started to die out. Something was definitely off. Angus wanted to ask a few questions, but Taako had been acting sickly since recess. It was best to let him be. No use in pushing him, that would just make him defensive. Although, Taako did ruffle Angus' hair a little before he left. 

Angus ran off with Magnus. Taako watched him leave, and, _of course_   that horrible feeling came back to strike him in the heart. 

Barry and Taako walked back in silence. Lup asked how the trial went.

"Fine." 

He must have looked uncomfortable, because Barry shook his arm, asking, "You okay, Taako?"

Taako shrugged him off, leaving the room. "Yeah, peachy. Gotta go lay down." 

Lup and Barry knew better than to try and reason with him. But having to sit on the sidelines while Taako sifted through his problems  _killed_ them. First thing Lup was going to do once she got her body back: harass her brother into telling her what the  _fuck_ was going on in his head. Until then, she just had to. Float there. 

_Ughhhhhh._

Face-down in his bed, Taako couldn't sleep. Definitely couldn't meditate--head was too foggy. He considered calling somebody on his stone, but honestly? Fuck other people right now. This is Taako time. A million thoughts swarmed through his mind, all of them bad. He was sweating. His arms were shaking. Good thing he locked the door, because there was no way Barry could see this. If Lup flew through the wall right now... _no, don't even think about it._   He didn't know what this was, but he just  _felt_ sick. Ever since he heard Angus vent about his aunts, he felt sick. 

It felt too familiar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I made him sad!!  
> Thanks for all of your feedback on this, everyone!  
> Hmmmmmmm, isn't it weird that we haven't seen Kravitz yet? Geez, wonder when he'll come into play..........(it's next chapter. it's next chapter, seriously, it's a GOOD time)


	5. Magic Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus grinds corn for fifteen minutes and gets a second dad.

Not once during the trial did Taako neglect magic day. Magnus brought Angus over, same time every week, to learn and practice new spells. Today, Angus was working through Rope Trick--once Story and Song was over, Taako insisted on teaching him higher level spells. Magic boy wouldn't go anywhere if all he could cast was Mage Hand.

Enchanting the rope was no problem, that came very naturally. At his rate, it would be time to pick a specialization soon; Angus was leaning hard into conjuration and divination. Taako wasn't entirely thrilled about having to send Angus off to a university, but the boy had a talent that couldn't be wasted.

The real trouble was ripping through extradimensional space. Angus couldn't quite tear through, and kept poking tiny holes instead.

"It's alright, it takes a while to do the first time." This was mostly a lie. Taako had picked up on extradimensional portals quickly when he was first getting into the meat of wizardry, but he didn't want to make Angus feel bad for not understanding. Lately, Taako had been using a more gentle approach to teaching. Not to say he was horrible before--he was always a good teacher. Somehow, he kept that after the Voidfish. But after remembering what he lost, he was even better--a lifetime of learning with his sister, becoming a wise legend in the Legato conservatory, teaching Barry to swim--it put sense to Taako's interest in teaching Angus magic. It always felt weird to Taako that he, a celebrity, a chef, a guy with a heavy distrust of other people, would feel _good_ after giving Angus a lesson. It made perfect sense now.

Angus steadied himself, took another loop of parchment and ground corn, and started his incantation again. He barely got halfway through the spell when a giant rift appeared in the room--tall and wide enough for an adult to walk through. The rope wasn't going into it, but that was hardly the problem, because Angus did it! Taako shook Angus' shoulder, hardly believing his eyes, yelling, "Hell yeah, that's the ticket!"

"Sir, that wasn't me."

Mentor and student stared nervously at the rift in space. A tall, dark and handsome man stepped out, ( _well, not dark and handsome yet, he was still all bones)_   easing Taako's nerves. Wait. No, Taako became more nervous, because now Kravitz and Angus were in the same room, and, Oh No, _he still hadn't told Kravitz about the custody case_ \--

"Sorry if this is a bad time, I finished a bounty early, and..." Kravitz glanced over at Angus. "...Hello?"

Angus was shaking, because it's not every day that an eleven year old sees a reaper. He pointed his little wand towards Kravitz, afraid that he was here to take his or Taako's life. Kravitz was not prepared to be threatened by a small boy--it was kind of amusing. He tried his best not to move or startle Angus, and looked to Taako for some kind of explanation.

"Shit--no, Ango, he's not here for business. We're tight." Taako stood up to greet Kravitz, but...hmm, no, he couldn't just run up and kiss him or anything. Kid's here. Kravitz didn't seem keen on greeting him like usual either. At least his skin was coming back.

Angus calmed down once Kravitz' skin came back on. He lowered his wand and asked, "Sir, why do you know an emissary of death?"

Taako wasn't prepared for this conversation yet.

"Angus, can you...uh, I think we've run out of powdered corn, for the spell, so..." Taako fiddled with an earring, trying to calculate the best way through this situation. "There's a mortar and pestle in the top-left cabinet, would you be a dear and grind some dried corn in there so we can continue the lesson?"

Angus knew this was an excuse to get him out of the room. Taako knew that Angus knew, because he's the smartest boy in the world, but that didn't matter because this was Taako's nightmare situation. Angus was polite enough to give his mentor a break. "Of course, sir, um...how long does it usually take to grind corn?"

"Ten minutes." Taako was _relieved_ at how quickly this kid caught on.

"Then...I guess it'll take me fifteen minutes, because I'm a little slower than you." Angus smiled, leaving the room. Damn, this kid was good.

Kravitz waited until Angus left the room before asking. "That boy is..."

"Angus. He's the world's greatest detective and, obviously, the smartest fucking kid ever." Taako sat down, offering Kravitz to do the same. "When we were on the moon, I started teaching him magic and we've just made it a habit."

"That's extremely sweet of you, Taako. Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kravitz smiled. The idea of Taako having a soft spot for this boy was endearing.

"Well, I mean, that's all it was _before_ \--" Taako was nervous, certainly more than he should be about being nice to a child. Kravitz knew Taako was still combing through a lot of his feelings, but he shouldn't be getting this worked up over something so small. "Look, I'm gonna say something, and it's not...I don't know how this is gonna go down, but uh. Yeah, Taako's full of surprises, I guess."

"You certainly are." Kravitz laid his hand on Taako's, trying to settle him down. "Taako, this isn't such a big deal. You've taken on a little apprentice, that's very--"

Taako put a bit of distance between him and the reaper. "That's not everything."

Kravitz stayed quiet.

"I'm--damn it, you have to promise you won't freak out."

"I won't, please. Go on."

"See--here's the thing, Angus is a great boy, and, he doesn't have anywhere to go. Or at least, anywhere suitable--so, I guess, I thought I'd..." Taako took a deep breath. "I'm adopting him." He hadn't said that exact string of words out loud yet.

It felt nice to say it out loud.

But, again, no, this wasn't the time for those feelings because Kravitz was looking at him like he was from another planet-- _okay, nevermind, that part was true, but_ \--he was shocked. Not mad, or angry, but hearing Taako say he was going to adopt a child definitely threw him off.

"I'm dating a single father?"

"No, not...well, I guess, not yet?" Taako ran a hand through his hair, and now he was _rambling_. "His family is fighting over him. From what I've seen and heard from his aunts, there's no way they should be allowed to care for a child. It's just, bad vibes all over the place with them. I kind of got myself stuck in the middle of their custody case? It's me against his two shitty aunts...and--look, I might not be totally great at it either, but I know he deserves better, and I just wanted to give him another option--"

"Taako, that's delightful," Kravitz said, interrupting him. He was smiling again. "How old is he?"

"Eleven?" Taako said in a daze. He was okay with this? "I was going to tell you soon, I promise, it's just...it's not something that's easy to say out loud."

"That's understandable." Still smiling, somehow. 

"You're not mad?" Taako didn't know what sort of reaction he would get after confessing he was going to adopt an actual, real human child, but he sure wasn't expecting Kravitz to look _happy_. "This isn't...you're not ending us, right?"

"It's...well, honestly, it might take some adjusting. But I'm not going anywhere, Taako." Kravitz pressed a quick kiss into his cheek. "I, uh, assume we need to have a different, longer conversation about this later, but the boy can't grind corn for another hour while we work this out."

Taako's head was spinning. This was best-case scenario, right? He squeezed Kravitz' hand, afraid that at any moment he would leap out and say _Surprise! I'm leaving!_ But he didn't. He was smiling, and listening, and interested in Taako's relationship with the boy. "Right, you're right, uh...I've got to finish my lesson with him."

"Can I...stay for the lesson? Is that okay? I would like to talk to Angus a little as well, if that's alright."

"Yeah. Don't see why not."

Right on time, the sound of small hands knocked on the door. Taako got up to answer it, letting Angus back into the room. He had some of the corn in a bag, but it definitely wasn't fifteen minutes worth of corn grinding. _Mental note: kid needs some kind of reward for being so goddamn considerate._

"Angus, this is Kravitz..." Taako lead Angus over to the reaper. He knew Kravitz wasn't going to freak out and leave, but the whole situation made Taako's hands shaky. "...my boyfriend."

"I deduced that myself, from the way the two of you were acting." Smug little bastard. Angus extended an arm towards Kravitz and smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mister Kravitz."

Kravitz took the handshake--very formal and polite. "I haven't heard much, but Taako spoke very highly of you in the small description I was given."

"I haven't heard anything of you, so, I hope there will be time to change that." 

The two of them went back and forth for a half hour. Angus asked a lot of questions about the Astral Plane, and the exact circumstances of Kravitz' contract with the Raven Queen. Only Angus could turn death into a light and breezy conversation topic. Kravitz was so, so patient with the kid. It became obvious to him quickly that there wasn't a need to dumb down his answers, so he was able to get into a good amount of detail (without getting too gnarly). The two were a good match, and watching them interact put Taako at ease. After letting the two loose on their conversation, it was time to bring Angus back down to the lesson. "Don't think for a second you're getting out of magic day just because my man's here. You're not leaving until I see a tear through extradimensional space, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Angus sat back on the floor, reading over the incantation again and checking to see if his materials were all in order.

"You're teaching him how to tear a rift?" Kravitz asked, and...oh, he was worried?

Taako shushed him. "Just a little one, so he can do Rope Trick." 

"Mister Kravitz, sir...you made a very large rift earlier, do you have any tips on how I could improve mine?" 

"Hey, I'm not a good enough teacher for you now?" Taako faked a pout.

"Sir, I think you know that's, _excuse my language_ , horseshit?" Angus got a few laughs out of Taako for that one. "I just thought, since I'm stuck on it, it might be nice to hear a different explanation..." 

Taako waved dismissively at Angus. "I'm messin' with you. Krav, you got anything?" 

Kravitz was hesitant to answer, but nodded. "Most of my experience with interplanar rifts come from my abilities as a bounty hunter, but I can certainly try to explain what I know."

The three of them worked for a long time on Rope Trick. Kravitz was horrible at explaining what he was doing, but he was so calm and reassuring that Angus didn't really mind. Taako suspected that Angus figured out the extradimensional tearing fourty minutes in, but kept flubbing it on purpose to spend more time talking to Kravitz. Cute--but also the boy was getting tired, and even though he wasn't casting Rope Trick entirely, he had done it enough times to become exhausted. 

"MAGNUS!" Magnus shouted, running in on the lesson. All three boys jumped up in surprise, sending Magnus into a fit of laughter. "It's getting really late, isn't it? Mind if I take him back?"

Taako made a face that just screamed  _yes, Magnus, I DO mind,_ but ended up saying, "Nah, he's been all up in my biz all afternoon, take him. Agnes, make sure to rest in between your self-practice this week, you're not made of spell slots."

"Of course, sir." Angus left to join Magnus.

On their way out, Magnus waved at Kravitz. "Hey, how's your suit? Still greasy on the shoulders? You should have seen Taako--"

Taako's voice went up three octaves as he pushed Magnus out of the room. "It's getting late, _Magnus_ , the boy needs to be _in bed!"_

"So _that's_   what that was." Kravitz snickered. 

Taako walked Angus and Magnus to the door, saying goodbye. That same jabbing feeling came to punch him in the heart, but Kravitz interrupted the whole ordeal. 

"Taako?" Kravitz said once Angus was out of earshot.

"Yeah?"

Kravitz pointed in the direction the boy left. "I love him."

Oh shit, he was already invested. How the hell could a single man be so sincere? Taako could barely say something half as sweet to Angus, but here Kravitz was, saying it after spending less than three hours with him. He wasn't fibbing, either. And it was so, so nice to hear it. In his voice. There was a sense of stability that came from hearing Kravitz say he loved Angus already. 

"No shit, it's Angus. Everyone does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second dad: ACQUIRED  
> This whole fic is Angus just collecting new family members to replace his old shitty ones and I'm not even sorry.  
> Also, I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm fantasysamsclub on tumblr if you're the type of person that wants to gush about TAZ with strangers over the internet.  
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Slip-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delicious (?) scones. Magnus has a bathroom emergency. Taako rolls a nat 20 on intimidation.

"Sir, you're supposed to stay in the room."

Magnus hadn't paid attention to that rule while Angus was over at Taako's. Honestly, he forgot. And Angus didn't seem to have a problem with being left alone. It was easier, and Magnus knew Angus was smart enough to come get him if he needed anything. But now, at Aunt Violet's house, with Violet and her husband and Angus on the couch, Angus was reminding Magnus of the rule.

"Oh, I don't think Mr. Burnsides has to worry about that, dear." Violet drew a heavily manicured hand along the boy's cheek, her other hand on his shoulder. She smiled sweetly at Magnus. "Angus is my blood. I'm sure it's not a problem for me to get some alone time with him."

Magnus had to admit it. Violet and her husband were probably better for Angus than Taako would be. He wasn't sure why Taako was doing this at all--it wasted a lot of his energy, and he had changed so much since the Starblaster that Taako didn't even seem like Taako, much less a _dad_.  Violet, on the other hand, seemed like the perfect fit for Angus. The family seemed stable, and they had taken care of him before. All of Violet's children had grown up and moved out, so Angus would get a lot of attention. On top of that, they _were_ related. He didn't have a problem leaving Angus alone with Violet and her husband.

But the look Angus was giving Magnus...

"Nah, I mean. Kid's right, I'm really not supposed to leave you alone with him." Magnus took a seat far enough away that Violet and her husband wouldn't complain, but close enough to keep a good eye on the two. He took out a block of basswood and a small knife, whittling into the wood. "It'll be like I'm not even here. I won't eavesdrop. Oh, and at the end? You'll get a nice duck. How's that, Mrs. McDonald?"

"If those are the rules, then I don't have a problem with them. May I offer you some tea, at least? A scone?" Magnus Burnsides was _not_ one to turn down a scone. In fact, he had three. Too much vanilla, and a bit of a sour aftertaste, but they were pretty good. Hey, a scone is a scone, right? Doesn't have to be perfect. Had a _lot_ of powdered sugar on top. Angus refused to eat any.

The visit was pleasant enough. Magnus tuned out a lot of what the three spoke about, but he caught a few things. They asked about the moon base. They asked how it was with Magnus. They asked if he had done any more detective work lately. There were a few bumps in the conversation that Magnus kept tabs on: they steered away from talking about magic at all costs. They constantly adjusted Angus' clothes and hat, even after he tried to adjust it back to the way he liked it. Violet didn't give Angus a lot of personal space. It set off something in the back of Magnus' mind, but nothing they did _seemed_ wrong. Must be how their family is--hell, Magnus' family was strange, but they were still family. If he could tolerate an old man with a plant fetish, Angus could tolerate a doting aunt, right?

After a while, Magnus desperately needed to use the restroom. Violet's husband offered to show him where it was, and Magnus followed him. They had a fancy bathroom--seems like the McDonald family was fancy by default. Lavender soap. Laced hand towels. Pictures of Violet's children, and a few of Angus. Lots of cosmetics. Entire bathroom smelled like lemons. Weird fuzzy toilet seat covers.

Magnus was in the bathroom for longer than he wanted to be. Something he ate must not have agreed with him. Why did this have to happen in somebody else's home? He ran out of toilet paper midway through and had to search a stranger's cabinets with his pants down. Lots of medicines in the cabinets. Was Violet a doctor? It didn't matter. He found the paper and finished, tried to cover up the smell, and left the restroom. All in all, he was in there for ten--no, fifteen minutes?

After Magnus got out of the bathroom, something was wrong.

Nobody realized Magnus stunk up the bathroom. That was fine. Mrs. McDonald got her duck. That was fine. Magnus said it was time to take Angus back. That was fine. But Angus wasn't fine. He wouldn't tell Magnus what happened, he denied anything happened, but _something_ happened while he was in the bathroom.

For a while, Angus was just quieter. His eyes were a bit more dull. His voice didn't pick up in pitch at the end of his words. His smile was ten percent less wide. He fidgeted. He stopped reading. He didn't finish his meals. When asked what was wrong, Angus would smile a little too wide and assert that everything was great, nothing's wrong, _but thank you for asking, sir! It sure means a lot!_

And, really? Nobody truly noticed. Magnus only noticed because he was spending seven days a week with the boy. He was starting to think it was all in his head, because nobody acknowledged it.

But the one person that did notice?

An elf cornered Magnus during his next visit. He stared Magnus down. His teeth clenched, his eyes filled with wrath, his hands shaking. Times like these brought attention that the two were almost the same height. Magnus was the one who could stare down somebody until they cracked. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end, and certainly not from _Taako._

"What happened?"

He had the courtesy to do all of this while Angus was out of the room. He was curious about some of Barry's nerd shit, and as soon as the two of them were out the door Taako had cornered Magnus. Lup's form buzzed nervously as she watched her brother take the most threatening stance against Magnus. Oh, and _thank Istus_ that Taako decided to put the knife he was using to dice onions down before confronting Magnus.

"What _happened?_ " Taako asked, a second time, malice dripping in every word.

"I don't know, Taako!" Magnus shrunk in his boots, his voice quiet. "I really don't. He won't tell me."

Taako's fists were clenched so hard his nails cut the skin of his palm. He so often kept an even, detached face. Emotions-free zone. But today, so many different emotions bubbled up in his face at once: anger, fear, horror, worry, sorrow, guilt--too many to identify and file away.

He tried to calm down, forcibly bringing himself back down to a normal level. "Just--fucking, since when? When did this start?"

"We were at his aunt Violet's--"

_"Violet's?_ " Nope, nope, any semblance of calmness just _flew right out the window_.

"Yeah, Violet's--and I, uh, had to use the bathroom _real bad_   while I was there, so, Angus was left alone with his aunt and uncle until I came back."

"You left Angus _alone_ with _Aunt Violet?_ " Taako groaned, even more upset. He put his head in his hands, circling around the kitchen for a minute before coming back to corner Magnus. "How long?"

Magnus took a minute to answer. "Fifteen minutes?"

" _FIFTEEN MINUTES?"_ Taako shouted immediately after, a sense of panic in his voice.

"I didn't think it was bad at the time!" Magnus' voice was laced with guilt.

Taako didn't know where to put his hands. In his hair? On his face? Every movement was a nervous fidget, his voice frantic. "You have to keep eyes on that _bitch_   at all times, no exceptions! If you had any fucking clue the sort of things she's done--"

"How--hold on, Violet did something? What is it, how--how do you know about it?" Magnus looked over at Lup. Both were confused. What was he talking about?

"Angus told me." 

Lup flew over to chime in. "Is that what you were talking about when you two were baking?"

"You fucking _saw_ that?!" Taako swat at the form, but it just melted in his hands.

Lup shrugged, floating back towards the door. "I didn't listen in, if that's what you're worried about."

Taako stumbled on his words, trying to get out some kind of accusation, but Magnus cut him off. "Look, Taako, I'm sorry I left him alone, I thought it was fine--but can you tell me what she did before? Maybe we can figure out why Angus is upset."

"I can't just _tell you,_ Magnus, Angus told me about it in confidence!" 

"But if there's something really wrong with how Violet runs things, shouldn't we tell someone?" Magnus laid a hand on Taako's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"At the very least, Barry could use it as evidence," Lup added.

Taako shrugged Magnus off, pacing around the kitchen. "Not on my life! Angus fucking _trusted_   me not to tell anybody. I can ask him about what happened at Violet's, but even if he tells me, I'm taking that shit to my grave. Hell, I'm taking it _beyond_ my grave, until the Astral Plane collapses in on itself and the fucking Stockade disappears!"

"But--"

_"Don't push it, Magnus."_   Taako said in quiet anger. He was still seething, but he must have yelled himself hoarse. "Listen, just--I'll talk to him. But if he asks me to keep quiet about it, you don't get to know. Nobody does. Ever."

When Angus and Barry returned, Taako ran up and muttered some bullshit about a surprise magic lesson, taking Angus back into another room. The two of them were gone for an hour, so Lup helped Magnus finish cooking dinner--which Taako would whine about later, but everybody was too hungry to wait another hour for Taako to finish it. Angus seemed a lot more calm when they were done. During dinner, his mood lifted more and he went back to chattering on cheerfully.

After dinner, Taako made a big deal about needing Magnus to help with the dishes. Magnus washed dishes and handed them off to Taako to be dried. They were both silent for a few minutes until Magnus spoke up, in a low enough voice so Angus wouldn't hear. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"Yeah." Taako placed a plate back into a cupboard. "But he told me to keep quiet."

Silence, for a while. "I was supposed to protect him."

"Magnus, you didn't know."

" _You_   knew."

"Yeah, I did. I do. But, fuck, Angus is a good kid. He wouldn't blame you for this."

Magnus sighed, reaching for the soap. "Was it fucked up?"

"Not as much as I thought it was going to be. He was more worried about the memory of shit that happened before." Taako grimaced, lifting a plate straight out of Magnus' hands. "You know, that she'd do the exact same thing if given the chance. That's it."

"So I wasn't--"

"He was safe, yeah. Technically." He took a breath, glancing over at Angus. "Just--never take your eyes off of those two."

"Never again." Magnus washed a big, decorative glass mixing bowl. "You know, it would be easy for you to win the case if you told the judge about all this."

"I'd also lose Angus."

"You'd win, what are you talking about?" Magnus handed off the glass bowl to be dried.

"I'd lose Angus' trust." Taako spoke towards the bowl, using very delicate motions to dry it. It was quiet, and there was a tenderness in his voice that Magnus rarely heard. "I want him to feel safe here. I can't break a promise just because it would make this situation easier. You know, it's like--fuck, you can't take a pot roast out before it's all the way done. You've got to do it the slow way, 'cause even if it takes longer, it'll be better when it's done. No shortcuts. It's going to be fine, those aunts are so fucked up, they'll slip up soon enough."

Magnus smiled. "You sound like a dad right now."

The bowl slipped out of Taako's hands, shattering at his feet.

_"Taako!"_ Magnus turned off the water. Broken glass scattered around their feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah--fuck, it just slipped out of my hands--" All the color drained from Taako's face as he knelt down to pick up the glass pieces. His hands were shaking. "Uh, hey, gu-guess I should get on patenting some Taako-brand shatterproof glass, I mean, h-h-how hasn't anyone thought of that?"

Everyone else in the house ran over at the sound of shattering. Barry grabbed another bowl, stepping over glass shards towards Magnus and Taako. "Put the pieces in here--oh, fuck, Taako, did you get glass shards in your feet?"

Angus tried to approach the scene, but Taako stopped and waved his hands at the boy. 

"Ah-t-t-t-tch, no, no, Angus, pumpkin, you stay over there--you're not stepping on broken glass in  _my_ house, damn it." 

"Can't I use mage hand to help pick it up?" 

"You can, but stay  _all the way over there,_ please." 

Once they picked everything up, Barry grabbed Taako by the ankle to check his foot. At the end, some of the shards were covered in blood. Angus asked if he could use the glass shards to practice a mending spell, but Taako was too nervous to let the kid pal around with broken glass. Lup asked Magnus what happened, and when he explained, she decided not to harp on him too much for dropping the bowl. Seeing Taako flounder around like that after an off-hand comment about acting like a dad...

Magnus changed his mind. Taako was, without question, the best option for Angus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) :) :)  
> Like always, thanks to everyone for the support and comments!   
> Next chapter uHUM....hm...do you guys like Davenport?


	7. Backtracking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davenport misreads Taako's intentions. Angus goes on the defensive.

"Capp'n!"

A small gnomish man stood at the door to Magnus' rental. Immediately he was ushered inside, although it was evident that Magnus had somewhere to _be--_ no weapons on hand, actually dressed up for once, and generally more put together than usual. Davenport was tickled, seeing Magnus like this. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No, but I'm on my way out. Just waiting for Angus to get ready." Magnus snapped his fingers, an idea forming in his brain. "Oh, do you want to come? Barry and Taako'll be there, too."

Davenport, rightfully so, needed a break. He took a few weeks away from _everyone_ \--just traveled a bit. Cleared the cobwebs out of his head. He would take more extended trips later, but the first was the most important. Now, he felt better--not perfect, not normal, but better. It was time for him to catch up with his family, figure out what happened these past ten years. Maybe do a little outreach, because there was no way everybody on the crew was dealing with this correctly. Davenport sure wasn't.

In his short absence, he didn't learn about the trial.

So, yes, it was shocking when Davenport followed Magnus and Angus (admittedly, the captain felt a little bad about openly contemplating the destruction of the boy's world to his face) to the courthouse to find that Barry was acting as a lawyer. For Taako. To adopt a child--the same child that he had silently watched Taako tease for a year and a half? And here he was, mussing up Angus' hair and asking him if he was keeping up with his cantrips.

"Am I...missing something?"

"What are you talking about, Captain?" Barry asked, waiting for the courtroom to open.

"Well, I mean--Taako, you've pulled a lot of stunts before, but this one might be going a little too far, don't you think? It's impressive you roped Barry and Magnus into this, too, but I don't know if it's worth it."

The animated smile and theatrics Taako used while speaking to Angus dropped. He spoke in a daze, confused. "I'm not--this isn't a joke?"

"You can't be serious!" Davenport chuckled. Once he saw the very serious look on everyone's face, the captain stared at them in disbelief. " _You can't_."

"Full of surprises, Capp'nport. That's how I do things now." Taako smiled, but there wasn't any showmanship behind it.

Barry came in between the two. "Captain, I know, I _know,_ it seems out of the blue--but he's serious, I swear."

Davenport wanted to ask more questions, but people were starting to file into the courtroom.

"Capp'n, look, just--watch the trial?" Magnus pat Angus on the shoulder. "You can sit next to Angus and me! Best seats in the court."

Reluctantly, Davenport joined the two at their seats. The trial was well attended, with various Goldcliff journalists, some of the old BOB employees, people who were generally interested in seeing a real life celebrity. Magnus filled Davenport in, pointing out the people involved in the case. The judge, who seemed like he favored one of the aunts. The jury, who were spilt pretty evenly between the three. Barry and Taako sat together, and near them were three others (Violet, her husband, and her lawyer), and even farther up was a single lawyer without a client. This interested both Barry and Violet's lawyer, until another woman (Lauren, and she did not look presentable) arrived. It didn't look good to arrive late at a custody trial. She hadn't asked for a visitation with Angus yet--a point that Barry was quick to bring up. Barry and Violet's lawyer were able to argue over Lauren's intentions for a good half hour.

Obviously Lauren's lawyer was well paid, because they fought desperately against these claims. Thankfully, it took some of the heat off of Taako--until the lawyer noticed that there was an extra person sitting next to Magnus and Angus.

The captain wasn't subtle about his confusion. He watched the trial like an outsider, as if it wasn't a family affair for him. There was a look on his face--disapproval?

"Captain Davenport, I just happened to notice you've joined us," the lawyer turned to face Magnus, Davenport, and Angus in their seats. "What do _you_   think of all this? You've known Taako for a very long time."

Davenport shot a glance over at Taako. Or, whoever he was now--he certainly wasn't _Taako._ Who was this? Definitely not the same person who could detach himself from a situation to get the best result. The same person who teased Magnus for becoming a coach for a year? The guy that wanted to destroy a whole world but didn't only because his sister said it was wrong. This person, the elf sitting next to Barry, shaking, fidgeting, staring at Davenport with his heart in his hands, pleading him to say something good, something that would win this.

"In my professional opinion?"

"No, please, feel free to get a little personal. This is a judge of character, after all."

After he was sworn in, Davenport stood to face the judge and jury. He spoke in a calm and even tone, smiling softly. "It's true. I've spent an extremely long amount of time with Taako. Everybody knows that at this point, I'm sure. Our situation was...unusual. However, I found Taako to be very resourceful and cunning. There were many situations where his wit won us a fight, or allowed us to escape. It took him years to trust other members of the crew, but once he did, that trust was absolute and clad in iron. The antics he and his sister would cook up really made some of the dark times worth it. He was an extraordinary member of the crew. Practically my family." Davenport stopped. He furrowed his brow, speaking more forcefully. "But there isn't any universe in which I would trust him with a child."

The court fell silent.

He kept on without being prompted. "This reality hasn't been easy on me. I'm still sorting through the events of the past ten years. But even from the small glimpses I saw of Taako, I know that something has changed, and it's not good. It's just not possible for somebody to spring back so quickly from losing so much." Davenport could feel a pair of eyes digging into him. He knew not-Taako was staring, but couldn't bear to look him in the eyes as he finished his statements. "His sense of family has been shattered, and I wouldn't be comfortable leaving a child with him, even one as bright as Angus."

Of course the aunt's lawyers jumped on this.

Of _course_ it took away all the progress Barry and Taako made.

In the end, the judge was tired of everybody talking in circles around each other. The entire argument turned to slander and chaos, centered around Taako. The judge announced that he had hired a social worker to work through a few things with Angus, and the case would not revisit court until the social worker could report their findings to the jury. Each candidate for custody would be contacted and asked to participate and provide information, which the social worker would use to build their report. Another trial wouldn't be scheduled until at least a month later--possibly more. If the social worker was truly successful, they might be able to help the three candidates settle the rest of this case out of court, peacefully.

The court adjourned. Taako rushed out as soon as he could, before Barry or Magnus could stop him, on a direct path to Davenport.

"Hey, Cappn'port, what the _FUCK_ was that?"

"I was under oath, I was supposed to tell the truth."

"So you--you actually believe all that horseshit you said about me?" There was anger in Taako's voice, but that was washed out by the look of disbelief on his face. "Why is this so fucking hard for people to get a handle on? Taako does one thing that's off-book, and none of you back me up? Hell, even Lup was treating it like a joke until she spied on me to make sure I was serious. I'm--it's my decision, I shouldn't be questioned because it's _different."_

"Taako, I don't think you should be making decisions like this because of what happened these past ten years. It's too soon." The captain tried his best to sound sympathetic, because he was--he swore he knew how Taako felt right now, but he wasn't dealing with it correctly.

"Listen, it's not about Fischer. If none of that bullshit happened, I'd still be doing this. Got it?" Taako was trying his best not to explode in the middle of this courthouse, keeping his voice down and low. There was still bite to it, but it showed a sense of control that threw Davenport off.

Davenport didn't let up. "No, I don't--Honestly, Taako, you're allowed to miss your family. That doesn't mean you can steal Angus from his." Taako and Angus' postures stiffened reflexively.

_"That's not his family."_

"You need to come at this with a level head. I know you lost a lot, I understand that more than everyone else, but you can't act like this and expect everyone to go along with it."

"This isn't about...actually, fuck this? I don't really give a shit if you believe me. It's my business." Taako grabbed Barry and started walking towards the exit.

"But you're dragging Barry and Magnus into it." Davenport followed him, having trouble keeping up with his speed. "Not to mention the boy himself. You know it takes real labor to take care of a kid, right?"

Taako turned around, stopping in his tracks. "They dragged themselves into it. Also, I've taken care of Angus before, it's not--"

"Lucretia took care of Angus, Taako, you were just giving him magic lessons."

Taako looked like he was about to pop.

"I don't need this." He let go of Barry, walking outside in silence. Everyone was too scared to follow him.

Barry frowned, speaking to Davenport after Taako cleared the building. "Captain, you didn't even give him a chance."

Angus spoke up instead. "Um, sir, in the captain's defense--you didn't either, the first time you heard of it." He hesitated, but kept going once he noticed all eyes were on him. "I get it, it's a strange situation, and, I think it might take some time for everybody to understand."

Davenport didn't budge. "It's not that it's a strange situation. Taako's out of his league here."

Surprisingly, Angus didn't budge either. "I don't really appreciate you going over my head to influence this trial? I like having a little bit of agency over this situation, sir." Magnus made a tiny shriek in surprise--was this the Angus McDonald equivalent of telling somebody to _fuck off?_   "I should go check on him, um--I'll be right back."

And he was gone before anyone could stop him.

* * *

He hadn't ran here on purpose. Taako stood underneath Goldcliff's (now world famous) cherry blossom tree. Really, he didn't plan on running this far away from the courthouse, but standing under this specific tree put a little more sense into Taako's head. He was still visibly nervous--bullshit, because he had a public persona to keep up. After a few minutes of staring at the tree, Taako heard a small voice behind him.

"Sir?"

Taako turned around. "Oh. Ang--hey, Agnes, what's shaking?"

"You are, it seems." Fuck, the kid was right--Taako drew in a breath. Breaking down in front of a kid was _not_ on his to-do list. Angus walked to stand under the tree with him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just. Cap'nport's picking a fight." He flipped his hair, trying to play it cool. Failing fast, though. "I'm good."

"Sir, I. I hope this isn't too weird, but I've been venting to you since this trial started, and--um, if you ever need to do the same..." Angus rocked on his feet. There wasn't much of a chance for Taako to confide in him about Davenport--he had done it once, while talking about Sizzle it Up!, but he didn't enjoy it. "I know you don't do it very often, and, well, you don't need to, if, um. If it makes you uncomfortable? I figured I should extend the invitation because you've been so helpful lately, so--"

"Yeah."  _Fuck it, no going back._

"Really?"

"If you're offering. Be thankful, this is a fucking lifetime opportunity." Taako deflated, because there wasn't any sense keeping up theatrics during something like this. "You don't think--you know I'm serious about this, don't you?"

"Sir, I'm a very good detective. If I thought you weren't serious, I would have said so in court."

"World's greatest, c'mon, you've got to brag about that at every opportunity." He elbowed Angus lightly, eyes on the tree. "I shouldn't give a shit whether or not anyone else believes me, right? I mean, as long as the two of us are on the same page, nobody else should matter."

"It's not bad to care about what your family thinks, sir." Angus folded his arms, also watching the tree. "But I think Mister Davenport should have gathered more information before saying his statements."

"Right?" Taako let out a huff of laughter. "Like, if you murdered someone, I would absolutely hide the body. That's just something you do for family."

Angus grinned. "If I murdered somebody, I would turn myself in." 

"And I'd break you out of prison." Taako shook Angus' shoulder, laughing a little more. "I'm sure Capp'n'll believe me at some point."

"It wouldn't hurt to speak to him about it." 

Silence, for a moment. Taako mumbled something inaudible, right under his breath.

"Sir?"

Another moment of silence. Taako barely raised his voice, but managed to squeak out, _"I'm not there yet."_

"That's, um, understandable. Do you think yo--"

"Angus, don't run off like that!" Magnus and Barry ran to the tree, interrupting Angus' conversation. "I had to pretend you were in the bathroom while that social worker gave me his stone frequency."

"Sorry, I couldn't just stand there doing nothing." Angus smiled, a little guilty.

Barry pointed to Angus. "Taako, you're rubbing off on this kid. He almost popped a cap on the Captain." 

"I didn't! It was _one_ assertive statement, it wasn't--"

Taako burst out into laughter, waving his hand dismissively at Angus. "Oh please, he's always been a little shit, that's nothing new--told me once he _detectived_   through my horseshit."

"Hey, you two want to go grab something to eat with us?" Magnus offered, walking to collect Angus. "I kind of feel bad unleashing Capp'n on the trial, and..."

"Yeah, fuck, there's a place around the corner that I've wanted to make a huge fucking scene in. They're too stuffy about their food." Taako grinned wide, hiding the intense wave of discomfort he was just riding. "Barry, do the cheese con with me."

"I'm  _not pulling a con_ with you."

"Barold!"

"The cheese con makes me sick every single time! It's like asking you to pull the nut con!"

"Maybe we  _should_ pull the nut con, then!"

"Taako, the nut con killed you in three separate cycles, don't--don't do the nut con." Magnus frowned, pushing on Taako's shoulder. "We're having a  _normal_ lunch with Angus."

"If you try to pull a con, sir, I'm calling the police." 

" _Angus!_ I thought I trained you better!" 

For hours, the four of them joked and teased each other in a way that just screamed  _family._ It shouldn't matter to Taako whether anybody else believed him, because Angus believed him. But he also enjoyed this sense of community. Angus looked so happy in this environment, and wouldn't it be better if others were involved? The entirety of his family didn't believe him, not yet. But maybe it was worth the effort to convince them himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said this fic was mostly about Angus collecting family members? Some of them are reluctant. (Maybe Davenport will warm up later. But he IS wrath grandpa, so...)  
> Next time, uh....heavy Angus centered chapter!


	8. Setting up for a Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player enters the game. Taako made too many cookies. Angus cheats a little. Violet...

Angus cracked the code!

Or, at least, he knew _what_ code it was. The way the letters paired together in Taako's journal made him believe it was a Playfair cipher--a simple cipher to set up, but almost impossible to crack without the key. Fortunately, most Playfair keys followed a specific set of rules. Angus just needed a keyword that would have been used to make the letter table. The keyword would have to be something that didn't have repeating letters, and usually words that had both I and J in them wouldn't work. Unless Taako adjusted the traditional rules of the cipher, once he had the password Angus would be able to decode the entire journal with ease.

So really, now it was just a matter of figuring out what sort of password he'd use.

As Angus tried making keys out of words Taako might have used (Wizard? Gold? Twins?), Magnus called him into the den. He quickly jot down a few more things, and came out to answer Magnus.

An older halfling man sat in Magnus' rental. His hair had long since greyed out, but his eyes were soft. He reminded Angus vaguely of Merle. At first, he shifted through papers--the logs that Magnus was required to keep up with for the trial, Angus' files, miscellaneous legal paperwork. Magnus sat across from him, acting friendly enough. Once Angus entered the room, the halfling waved and smiled warmly. He offered to shake Angus' hand.

"Good morning, Angus. I'm Mr. McElroy. The judge asked me to help in this case."

Angus shook his hand. "Thank you, sir." He took a seat next to Magnus. This wasn't good. In his experience, once a social worker was brought in, cases got messy. The standards of what  _they_ think a child needs versus what the child  _actually_ needs never matched up. Taako didn't really fit in the socially acceptable definition of a guardian, so chances that a social worker would pick him instead of someone like Violet...Angus tried not to look so visibly worried.

"Is there something the matter, Angus?" Oh, guess that didn't work.

"No, I'm fine! Thank you for asking!"

Mr. McElroy furrowed his brow, leaning over his seat. "Angus, this isn't going to work if you lie to me."

"Alright." Angus sat up straight, adjusting his appearance to look more official. _Stay calm._ "Sir, I've seen a lot of cases similar to mine before. Most of them didn't have a good outcome. At this stage, I haven't seen a social worker that accurately listened to the children in question. I've worked with the police before, and I'm still not entirely sure why I don't have more authority in the decisions behind this case."

"You're still only eleven years old. We give more authority to teenagers, but a child your age--"

"Has solved murders, sir," Angus said, more forcefully.  _Don't act cross._  "All I was allowed was a simple preference. It's never been used in court as evidence, and at any time it can be overwritten by the judge in favor of who _they_ think my legal guardian should be."

"This says you haven't written in a preference."

"Because I wanted to enter one in at a later date. And nobody has allowed me to change my stance since then." Angus crossed his arms. _Just state facts._ "I still don't understand why I have to go through this; I have a job, I make enough money to sustain myself."

"You're eleven, Angus," Mr. McElroy said, "I know you're a bright boy, but think of it as a legal formality."

"If it's only a formality, shouldn't I have the final say in it?"

Magnus laid a hand on Angus, trying to calm him. "Hey, Ango--"

"It's alright, Mr. Burnsides." The halfling chuckled, reaching into his briefcase. "Alright, Angus, I know you're a different case. I'm going to approach this a little differently. Is it alright if I ask you to help gather evidence?"

A sparkling green gem fell out of Mr. McElroy's hand, tied to a leather strap between his fingers. It hung in front of his face for a few seconds before he threw it in Angus' direction. Angus missed the catch, but once he picked it back up the stone flickered in his hands, turning red. He took his wand from his pocket to see if it had any magical properties, but Mr. McElroy stopped him.

"Don't bother. It's a gem that allows me to collect audio data. As long as the gem glows red, I'll be able to collect sounds within a five foot space of you." Mr. McElroy brought out a box that held a second gem, similar to the one in Angus' hand, but larger. "I usually just give it to children and not tell them it's a recording device. But I figured since you're a detective, it shouldn't hurt to tell you. You may be able to leverage situations in your favor."

Angus stayed silent for a long time, eventually piping up to say, "Isn't that illegal?"

"It's on the edge." Mr. McElroy spoke quietly and calmly, as if he wasn't breaking at least four laws. Angus could only hope he had a warrant for this. "You were the one that wanted more agency in this case, Angus. I trust you can create some extreme situations that will give me enough evidence to put you in the right place. But the one thing you can't do is let anybody know the stone records speech. That would throw off all the results."

Angus wasn't thrilled to be involved in this blatant abuse of information, but at least he had a little bit of control now. It wouldn't be difficult for him to get Lauren out of the running--just one afternoon alone with her would show everything. But Violet...

"I'll make it work. Thank you, sir." He put the necklace on, hiding the gem under his vest.

Mr. McElroy flashed a smile, acting as if nothing they said within the past five minutes really happened. "Magnus, would you do me a favor and call in all the candidates? I would like to meet them in a neutral and public environment. A library or a park would do nicely."

* * *

Violet was the first person to arrive at the park, ten minutes early. She brought her husband. She was so friendly to Mr. McElroy, and shot Magnus a too-sweet smile. Immediately, she had her hands on Angus' shoulders, keeping him as close as possible. Violet was constantly fixing his tie, or moving some of his curls under his hat, or adjusting his glasses. Magnus refused to leave her alone when she was within ten feet of Angus.

Mr. McElroy sat near her, asking questions about her life and Angus. "So, Mrs. McDonald, what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, I'm a homemaker, that's all. My father left us a good sized fortune. But my husband is a pediatrician." She pinched Angus' cheek as if he was an infant. "It's nice, because it gives me so much time to spend with Angus. My children moved away already, it feels like an empty nest right now."

"How many children do you have?"

"Three. We don't see them very often; at Candlenights, sometimes, but they're just so busy with work!" Violet wiped some dust off of Angus' vest as she spoke, "Isn't it so typical of children to forget to call their mothers? Angus, you'll call me when you get older, won't you?"

"Um...yes, ma'am..."

"Smart boy," Violet said, barely giving him time to answer. "Angus is such a genius. I'm sure it was from the sign language we taught him as a baby."

Mr. McElroy raised an eyebrow. "Do you still know sign language, Angus?"

"No? I wasn't aware I ever learned it..." Angus looked at his hands, grimacing a bit. He stopped once he felt Violet's gaze on him. "I've been wanting to pick up a second language soon, though!"

"That sounds like a great idea! How about Dwarvish? It would be so useful if you had to investigate a crime between dwarves. You know how exclusive they are towards humans."

_As if she's ever met a dwarf._

Angus smiled, knowing just how to rattle her. "I was actually thinking Elvish, because a lot of the good spell books are--"

"I'll call in for a dwarf tutor as soon as the trial is over, don't you worry!" Disappointing. She didn't even give him time to finish.

"We talking about dwarves? You know, ch'boy's  _fluent_ in Dwarvish," rang a familiar voice. Taako appeared in a rift directly behind Violet and Angus, squeezing himself in between them. "Don't bother hiring a fancy tutor, I mean, kid knows at least three dwarves. Marble would love to teach you a few things, I'm sure."

"Her name is Mavis, sir!" Angus couldn't hold back a smile. 

Another head popped through the rift. "So sorry, we didn't want to be late."

"Oh, yeah, I figured if you're trying to meet everyone, I should bring my man, right? He's going to be around Angus a lot, so it's only fair," Taako said as he stepped through the rift onto solid ground, bringing Kravitz with him. "That cool?"

"Of course, that's, um..." Mr. McElroy tried to hide his fear by writing something on his clipboard. "Your...your partner is Death?"

"That wasn't in the broadcast?" Taako asked, but answered it before Mr. McElroy could. "Well, actually, we didn't make it official until after the apocalypse, so I guess it wouldn't have been in there."

"My jurisdiction isn't in ordinary deaths, so that's not wholly accurate. I'm more of a bounty hunter." 

"If you think he's an anomaly, wait until I start bringing my sister to these things."

"The lich?" Mr. McElroy asked, more afraid than ever.

"Right, so that part was in the broadcast--good, I don't have to catch you up on that." Taako sat himself in between Violet and Angus. "Oh, but, she won't be all ghosted out by then. Getting that corporeal body back _real_ soon."

"She's really not as scary as you would think, sir," Angus said, "I mean, once you can get past the nauseating feeling of seeing someone that isn't physically there, she's a very nice person!"

Violet tried to cut back in, "I don't know how I feel about my nephew playing around liches and undead constructs..." 

"Please, I wouldn't let him  _near_ anyone genuinely dangerous, like an axe murderer or a child abuser." He leaned in closer to Violet, scowling. "And if either one got too close, I've got a whole arsenal of  _extremely painful_ spells. Magnus knows, I turned him into a tube once!"

"Let's  _not_ talk about that, Taako," Magnus said, shuddering.

"That's what you get for eating my rock, Maggie!" Taako turned to address the social worker. "So, anything we need to do here, or...?"

"I wanted to meet everybody before starting my investigation. No tests here," Mr. McElroy said, and it wasn't a complete lie. This was really just a preliminary meeting. "I had some activities planned for everyone, but Lauren McDonald hasn't arrived yet..."

"She is _always_   late," Violet said.

"Well, no worries. Just talk amongst yourselves until she decides to show up."

_And, well, it would be nice if he could gather some audio evidence during that time._

Violet tried to get in to speak to Angus again, but Kravitz blocked her off. "Were you able to figure out Rope Trick, Angus?"

"I can do it without much trouble now! But it's one of the higher level spells I know, and, it still kind of wears me out to use it." Angus took out his wand from his pocket, smiling wide. "Do you want to see it?"

Kravitz smiled back. "Of course I do--here, why don't you do it by that tree?"

Angus knew Taako cared about him. It showed through when they were alone: the magic lessons, the cautionary tale of Sizzle it Up!, the way he seemed to deflate and come at him with a softer edge as long as nobody else was around. It showed through when he was teasing: the nicknames, the speech he gave to scare Angus from surpassing him, the fact that his teasing never crossed the line to attack Angus' skills or intellect. It showed in his pride of the boy: how he would holler when he mastered a spell, the stubborn use of "my boy." It showed through in different ways lately: how nervous he would be at the courthouse, the journal he had given him, the way he listened to Angus' problems, the way he shooed him away from the broken glass even though he should have been complaining about the glass shards in his feet. It showed through in its purest form very rarely: _"I trust you implicitly, Angus."_

And because Angus was smart, he could figure this all out on his own. But Kravitz just said what he was thinking, bluntly, without any sort of puzzle to work through. Angus still didn't know him very well, but it felt like he did. It was a nice change of pace. 

"Hey, looking good!" Taako pulled on the rope, looking skyward towards the rift. "Nice and sturdy, you've put a lot of work into this one."

"Thank you, sir!" Angus beamed, letting the rope loose and catching it. 

Taako looked like he had something to say. Kravitz seemed to get the memo, and left the area to go speak to Magnus. 

"How're you holding up, Angus?" 

It was a question Taako had gotten in the habit of asking lately, when he was sure nobody was listening. 

"Very well, actually!" Angus could swear he saw Taako's jaw relax after he answered.

"I know things kind of...got out of hand, last trial. I, uh--" Taako brought out a small pastry box, handing it over to Angus. "Don't eat them all at once."

Angus opened the box. It was packed full, threatening to overflow. But inside were chocolate chip cookies. "Sir, there are a _lot_   of cookies in here." Angus remembered the off-hand comment Taako made the first time he vented about his aunts--how he would use a baking to think through a problem. Was Taako really _that_ bothered over the stunt Davenport pulled earlier that week? "Are you alright?"

"It's not what you're thinking. I'm good. Just, accidentally put double the sugar in the dough, and had to double the rest of the recipe to match."

Not like him to mess up _that bad_   on a measurement, but Angus knew better than to question much farther. "Well, thank you! I'm sure Magnus would want some, too."

"Ugh, but hide a good amount for yourself. Magnus is a fucking black hole."

Both of them laughed. Neither of them found it particularly funny, but sometimes it's nice to get that nervous energy out. Angus had never seen him so nervous for so long. He really was trying. 

Angus decided it was time to put a few things in his favor.

After checking to see if anyone else was watching, he lifted the recording gem from under his vest. He made a small _shooshing_ motion with his finger. Taako seemed to catch on. With a smile and a wink, he said, "You enjoyin' yourself, pumpkin?"

"Very much! It's nice here," Angus said, sliding the gem back into his vest. "I'm surprised everybody was able to come on such short notice."

"Well, I can always make time for the magic boy. No big deal." _Laying it on a little thick there, Taako._

Nevertheless, hearing him say that out loud put Angus at ease. It was nice knowing that Taako genuinely cared for him under all the goofs. Or, maybe the goofs were his way of showing that? Angus filed the thought under a list of Taako-specific mysteries he wanted to solve.

Lauren finally stumbled into the park. She was at least a half hour late. Angus sighed, tapping his fingers on the cookie box. "I should go say hello to Aunt Lauren."

With a strangely apologetic look on his face, Taako pat him on the back. "Not much longer, alright?"

"Hopefully not," Angus said. Taako hugged him, but stopped once he saw Magnus' smug grin from the other side of the park. 

Angus laid the bag of cookies on a picnic table, next to his bag.

Violet stood around the table for most of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is the social worker Fantasy Clint McElroy? I'll never tell.  
> Heyyyyyyyy so.....I'm publishing this on my birthday, that's today!! My mother always told me that one should use their birthday to do something nice for other people, so today is actually a double update! There's going to be another chapter of this up tonight! (I would DIE if I had to keep it in my drafts folder for much longer. I've had it written up for a while--probably going to have to change the rating on the entire fic because of it. I'm changing the tags, at the very least.)
> 
> In the meantime, don't be afraid to hit me up at fantasysamsclub on tumblr, send me stuff about TAZ if you really wanna.


	9. Powdered Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus eats something he shouldn't. Merle puts a little faith in Taako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey WARNING: there's mentions of non-lethal poison in this chapter! Nothing is explicit and nobody dies, but there's a lot of emotional problems that come with it. I mean, it's probably going into PTSD territory at this point. The worst of it stops after the cutoff line, but this is an event that will be referenced and spoken about throughout the rest of the fic. It's pretty tame, I'm probably making it sound a lot scarier than it actually is, but best to put up too many warnings than too few.

Emetic poison is used to induce vomiting in patients that have consumed more dangerous substances. Emetics can be found in substances that aren't meant to be digested by people, such as rat poison. There are many types, ranging from clinical hospital-grade emetics to emetics found in wild plants. They are extremely useful in the medical field, and have saved countless lives.

It's still poison.

He wasn't admitted to a hospital. Once it was clear Angus had swallowed an emetic on accident, all that was needed was a little bed rest and some questioning. Mr. McElroy and Magnus searched all of his things, trying to find the source. Magnus found it first. He was afraid to show Mr. McElroy.

The cookies Taako gave to Angus the day before. Mixed in with the powdered sugar.

There was a search of Taako's apartment. Nothing that could be used as an emetic was found. He didn't usually top those cookies with powdered sugar, either. Anybody who Taako cooked for knew that. At Angus' request, Mr. McElroy wrote it off as a freak accident. This was a special and famous case, so somebody must have poisoned the cookies during the meeting. Lots of people would want to shake up this trial, so this wasn't a far-fetched idea.

Angus was awfully fine with all this. Too fine. So fine, it was suspicious. He dealt with it as if it was a practiced scenario, like something he would do nonchalantly after dinner. The moment it happened, Magnus swore he noticed a look on Angus' face--the face someone would make after accidentally going back in on a previous bad habit, like biting a nail or picking a scab. That _oh, shit, I forgot I wasn't supposed to do that_ face. He didn't spend much of time recovering. Shrugged it off almost immediately, going back to practice his spells before bed. Maybe he knew more about the situation than anybody else did, but he didn't speak about it.

Taako wasn't fine with all this.

He only showed it the first day, when Mr. McElroy showed up at his door to inspect his apartment. At first, he was nervous. Was he checking to see if he child-proofed the house? Oh, maybe he should have hid the wine. Halfway through his inspection, the phrase "Angus McDonald was poisoned," left the social worker's lips, and Taako broke.

"How?"

"The cookies you gave him."

There wasn't time to put on an act, to smile and pretend it didn't actually matter. The second the sound hit his ears, Taako vomited into the sink. He had to be told multiple times that _no, no, he's not dead, it was an emetic--he's fine, he's resting, he's not dead._ Mr. McElroy didn't bother asking too many questions. Taako was so sick after hearing the news. No way a person could fake that. After Mr. McElroy left, Barry and Lup tried their best to do damage control. Didn't work so well--Taako was still too stubborn to confide in his sister about this, and Barry wasn't sure what to say.

The days after he heard about the poisoning were difficult. He tried very hard to act like it was fine, because _obviously it wasn't my fault, they said some random freak did it._ But Barry heard sobbing in the bathroom and Lup noticed he was meditating instead of sleeping. He refused to make Barry dinner, suggesting they go out instead. He carried his low-sodium salt shaker everywhere, bit his nails as he waited to see if the food turned pink.

It never did.

He refused to speak to anyone about it. Any attempts at coaxing a conversation out of him were met with disinterested non-answers. It didn't matter who it was. No difference in his answers. He addressed everyone the same, no matter if it was Lup, or Kravitz, or even if fucking Sazed came out of his hell hole to visit. Didn't even have the energy to lash out--except once, to Lup, who went a little too far one day trying to get information out.

Angus called, a few times. Taako didn't answer. He didn't have the right to.

* * *

"You cookin' in here?"

Taako almost dropped another bowl, turning his head to see who was at the door. Merle. What was he doing here? "Nope. Just cleaning," Taako said, which was _bullshit_ because he never cleaned a damn thing without being bribed or threatened.

Merle chuckled. "Shame, I thought I was getting something out of coming over."

A crashing sound came from the other room, and a yell from Barry. Mavis' voice called out her brother's name, and Taako couldn't help but laugh at the image of Mookie tackling someone three times his size.

"You brought your kids? Great, I've got some extra--" Taako reached towards a pastry box, just as overfilled as the one he gave Angus. He caught himself, and shook his head. "Actually, nevermind."

_There it is._

"Mind if we have a little chat?" Merle asked, edging himself up onto a barstool.

Taako stopped. He knew what this was. "I do mind. Leave it be."

Merle started, almost dismissively, "Come on--"

"No."

This was not a new Taako-ism. He had always gone on the defensive. But he used to only do this when asked about life before IPRE. Did it a couple of times after being asked about his traveling show. Now, he did it on the drop of a hat. Fortunately, Merle had one hundred years of experience with this cagey bastard. "Do you mind if I say a few things? Not directed at you, just thinking out loud."

Taako groaned, slapping a dishtowel onto the counter. "As long as it doesn't have anything to do with me."

Merle paused for a long, dramatic moment. He coughed. "I was a shitty dad for--"

"I _said_ I don't want to talk about it!" Taako pressed the towel to his face, gripping it tightly.

"I didn't say anything about you!" Merle snapped back, pounding on the counter.

"You might as well have!" Taako threw the towel at him. "I know when you're pulling advice from _your life_ to apply to mine. And I'm not a dad, let's get that squared away!"

With a huff, Merle picked up the towel. "You're tryin' to be, you applied for custody of the wonder brat."

His heart felt like it was about to explode. "Yeah, and I guess you don't believe me either," Taako said, some of the edge leaving his voice.

Merle looked at Taako like he was speaking a different language. What was that supposed to mean? "Why wouldn't I believe you?" 

"It's not what I'd normally do?" Taako gripped his arms, forcing them to stop shaking. "It's not--I don't know, I don't seem serious enough? Something about changing too much the past ten years? Take your fucking pick, because everyone else seems to have a reason not to believe me!"

"Taako, do I look like the type to have kids?"

"No, you're fucking gross."

Merle stuck out his tongue. "And yet, I do! There aren't any prerequisites for loving your kids, kid."

"He's not mine."

"You want him to be."

Taako's tongue caught in his throat.

"Hey, I can't blame you! You're both crazy brats, I think it fits," Merle said, laughing. 

A moment of silence. A thought wormed itself into Taako's brain. He spoke up, softly, "You _believe_   me?"

"You wouldn't be working so hard if you weren't serious about this."

Out of nowhere, Taako was laughing hysterically. Merle joined in too, nervous, until he noticed that Taako's laughter was evolving into a hard sob. He got down from his seat, tugged at Taako's cape until he knelt down to eye level. "Hey, hey--where's all this coming from?"

"Angus was poisoned," he said, voice muffled. 

"I heard." Merle pat him on the back. "He's doing alright, you know."

"That doesn't matter. I--I didn't do it, I know I didn't. I know who _did."_  Taako hiccuped, his voice dominated by tears. He couldn't stop. "But it's...I can't believe this is happening again. It shouldn't, right?"

"Again?"

"Glamour Springs, Merle, catch up." He wiped his face off with his sleeve. "The shit I got tempted with in the chalice, come on."

"You didn't tell me anything about the chalice, dumbass!"

Taako groaned. This wasn't the time to talk about this _again_. "Fantasy Cliffnotes version: My--I was framed for a poisoning stunt, an--and--fo-for-forty--"

Merle stopped him. "Ehhh, I don't need to hear it. Water under the bridge, right? Why're you bringing that up?"

"Because--fuck, Merle, I thought that part of my life was _over!"_  Taako turned frantic, rambling on,"I mean, the chalice told me it wasn't my fault, and, it sure fucking wasn't! But shit like this isn't supposed to happen twice. If it happens twice, _fuck,_ that makes it my fault now! It doesn't matter who did it, the fact is that I just--I wasn't paying enough attention. Before, it was a freak accident, but now it's...it's a _problem?_ People are using my cooking as a vessel to hurt other people, and--I should have noticed. I should have caught it before it happened. Angus warned me, I knew it could have happened, I should have told him to keep the cookies close just in case."

With a stiff pat on the back, Merle said, "Yeah, you should'a. But hey, you're not going to be perfect on the first try. Or the second time. Or ever, really." He laughed. "The best you can do is know when to apologize, and pick up after a fall. 'Cause your kids are always watching to see how you react."

In a barely audible voice, Taako asked, "What if he hates me now?"

"That kid? I'm not even sure he's capable." Merle frowned. "This isn't the time to be moping around. Longer you wait, the worse it'll get."

Taako shot up to his feet, wiping the rest of the tears from his face. "Fuck--I need to call Angus--"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Merle clapped his hands together. "I'm taking the kids out to eat, do you want to come with us after you're done with your call?"

"I haven't really been hu--"

"Eating? Barry said that." Merle walked to the door, scowling. "And that wasn't as much of a question as it was a command."

"Yeah," he said, calming back down. "How long are you in Goldcliff for?"

"A couple weeks. Thought it would be a good vacation. Mavis has been obsessed with that damn tree since the end of the Hunger."

Taako snorted, shaking his head. "Hilarious. So have I."

"Hey, Taako?" Merle asked on his way out, "I still don't know what's going on in your head, but...you know, don't forget to ask for help. Also, I'd bet money that this wasn't your fault."

"Bullshit, get out of my kitchen," is what Taako said, but the warm tone in his voice and his smile said otherwise. He waited until Merle left the room before pulling his stone of Farspeech out. He hesitated. Was it really okay to just call Angus like this? He didn't have a lot of time to think, because soon enough he heard a tiny voice coming from the stone.

"Angus."

"You answered!" Angus' voice was as chipper as ever. Didn't sound like a kid that had been poisoned earlier in the week.

"Yeah. Uh, listen--"

"I should have known it was the powdered sugar. Violet's always pulling that shit," he said, stammering on the last word. "Don't worry, I put the recording necklace out of range."

"Language, Angus," Taako tried to say, but burst out laughing. "Actually? Nevermind, that was badass."

"I'm sorry, I know that scared you. The poisoning, I mean! I should have known you don't normally use powdered sugar. I know Violet did that to...well, I think she's trying to get you to drop out. And I--I understand if you do. Because I, um. I know that's. Not something you want to remember."

"Bullshit. _I'm_ sorry." He tried not to show how terrified he was in his voice, but it wavered and cracked a couple times. "I'm supposed to be protecting you, that's--that's what I signed up for. I can't drop out because of some shitty thing like this, because that means Violet wins and you get the shitty hand-around childhood that--well. Uh. Nobody deserves that shit."

"You don't have to apologize, sir!" 

"Angus, I do. Because it's my responsibility, alright? I don't give a shit how much of a genius you are, you don't have enough life experience to know how to avoid this sort of shit. I do. I've got to...ugh, I'm the adult, is what I'm trying to say." Angus tried to speak up, but Taako spoke over him, "I don't want you to ever feel like you're not safe under  _my_ roof, or eating  _my_ food. Even if it makes me sick to my stomach to think about you getting poisoned, I can't just...fuck, I can't just _leave!_ Taako's taking the blame."

"You still didn't do it," Angus said, "I, um. I'll accept your apology? Because I feel like you'll freeze me to death if I don't. But in situations like this, I think the blame goes directly to the person that did the actual poisoning?"

"Damn you, I'm trying to be the bigger person here and you're upstaging me!" He smiled. What a good kid. "Are you...feeling alright?"

"Better after, um, hearing you're okay." Angus was quiet on the other end, until, "I was afraid you would drop out."

"You'll have to do better to get rid of me, Agnes." Laughter on the other end.

"Magnus is calling me over--I'll talk to you later, sir! I love you! Bye!"

"I--"

Angus' voice clicked out before Taako could finish. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> Part 2 of birthday update! Thanks for everyone's kind messages! You're all sweethearts!!!


	10. If There Was an Adult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories from the past are brought to the surface.

"It's not, like, a big deal or anything."

Two elves sat on the back of a caravan, watching the road. Babies, really--in the eyes of other elves, at least. Barely fifteen. The driver only promised to take them two towns out from New Elfington, as long as they used their nightvision to watch for bandits. They seemed desperate, sputtering something about running away from an uncle? One elf had a stick, twirling it towards a stone melting into the shape of an icosahedron, the same shape as a small clay statue in his lap. In front of him were a few other stones, some natural and some transmuted. The second elf took the stones in her hands, running fingers along their edges.

"It _is,_ come on! Where did you learn this?"

"When we snuck into the library? I found it in a spellbook. I think it's called Stone Shape." The boy took up another stone, made some adjustments to his clay shape, and transmuted the stone into another icosahedron."It only needed a little clay as a component, so it seemed easy enough."

"Isn't that a 4th level spell?" The girl wrote some numbers on the icosahedrons, making them into a dice set. "Hey, think you could weight this die? We could pull some gambles with it."

"Oh hell yeah, let me get on that," the boy said, scrambling to readjust the clay again. He carved numbers into the faces, one through twenty, before turning another stone into the shape. The girl rolled the dice, and, sure enough, it landed on a one. She kept rolling, and it didn't always land on a one, but it consistently rolled lower numbers. Sweet.

The girl turned the new weighted dice in her hands, watching her brother work. "Hmmm, d'you think we could go to school?"

"Don't have the money for that."

"Guess you're right." The girl looked towards the driver, swiping a few things from the back of the caravan when he wasn't looking. She kept talking to hide the theft. "You're doing fine enough practicing on your own. Could use this gambling money to buy a few books, though--get some for me, too. Magic's too boss to pass up, right?"

The boy frowned. "We need food more, dumbass."

The girl stuck out her tongue, mocking him. "Can't you just wave your wand and _make_ food?"

"Hm." He stopped casting, cogs turning in his head. "You know? I have no idea."

The two were dropped off two cities over, and the idea of school and spells left their heads. Surviving was more important. But the idea of being a wizard sizzled in the back of the boy's mind for years. It was a fantasy he would think about when he took the night watch while his sister was meditating. Maybe in another world, if he had an adult in his life that wasn't horrible, he would have been able to study magic earlier. It would be years until the twins held any form of stability, and years after that until they started studying magic in earnest. For the time in between, he settled his itch to do magic by using what he knew to gamble and steal food and money for his sister.

At least the dice worked.

* * *

"I dunno, I just sort of did it during self practice yesterday..."

Angus, leaning his cheek into his hand out of boredom, had his wand pointed to a specific point in the air. Taako watched the point closely after casting True Sight on himself. Sure enough, there was an invisible magic eye floating in the air where Angus held his wand.

"You don't _just sort of_ cast a 4th level spell, Angus."

"Fine, I found it in one of the books from the Starblaster." Angus flicked the wand to the side, sending the eye about ten feet to the right. He smiled up at Taako, shrugging. "I thought it was cool and I tried it out."

Arcane Eye. 4th level divination spell. It was nice to see Angus actively seek out spells he wanted to learn, instead of just picking from Taako's spell list. Kind of a big deal--this marked self-interest in a specific school of magic, and from how easily Angus picked it up? He could have a good future in divination. But it definitely wasn't Taako's specialty. "You're going to have to go to, like, an actual fucking school soon."

"You really think so?" Angus' eyes lit up.

"If you actually want to pursue this." Taako tousled Angus' hair. "You'd have more options with formal education than just being taught by little ol' me."

"Even if you're the most famous wizard in the universe?"

"Hmmm, you can't stay in Taako's shadow forever, m'boy." Taako adjusted his hat, attention focused on Angus' arcane eye. "Would that be something you're interested in? School, I mean."

"Of course! It's been a dream of mine lately." He smiled, but after a minute of thinking, he frowned. "But I do have a pretty good career as a detective, so...um. I don't know how that would go. I shouldn't throw that all away for magic."

"You're allowed to change your mind of what you want to do with your life, Angus. Fuck, you're only eleven."

Angus fell silent for a moment. "Do you really think I could?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes!"

"Can you put in the work?"

"Yes, sir."

Taako grinned, hugging Angus tight. "Then yeah, it's not even a problem."

The door cracked open, Magnus filling the space in between door and frame. "Hey, Mr. McElroy's on his way. I gotta stay in the room now." He walked in, sitting across from Angus and Taako as they finished the lesson.

"No problem, boy's just showing off at this point." Taako loosened his grip on Angus, but kept him close. He touched Magnus in between the eyes, casting True Sight on him so he could watch Angus' eye too. "Makes sense. He's taking to this quicker than I thought. No harm in a little bit of bragging."

Magnus found the eye, watching it as Angus flicked it around the room. He chased it like a cat after a laser pointer. "You've got talent, Angus!"

"It's not talent. It's hard work. Fuck, Magnus, you lived with five wizards for a hundred years, you should have picked that one up." Taako grimaced, a memory bubbling up to the surface of his mind. It left quickly enough. "Angus is good at spells because he's a nerd."

Angus smiled, only in the way he did before he decided to sass an adult. "If you're a master at spells, aren't you a bigger nerd, sir?"

"Shut up, nerd." Taako pushed the boy away, laughing.

* * *

Two elves sat on a caravan, the circumstances for their travel different now. Older now. A few decades past one hundred. They weren't told to watch the road, but the boy did anyway. The girl took the rare opportunity to be social--there were other guests in the back of the caravan, but they were considerably more well fed and dressed. If they were going to stay with these people for a few days of travel, they might as well get to know the other passengers. The boy did not agree with this sentiment.

It was lucky the boy watched the road, because he was able to spot a bandit cart trailing them about sixty feet back. It started to creep closer to their caravan.

Without much prompting, his sister sent a flaming bolt of energy towards the cart.

The other passengers started dealing blows too, hollering as if it was a fun party activity and not a dangerous road stunt. One of the passengers threw an axe into the road, then complained when nobody levitated it back to him. The boy jumped next to the driver in the seat, speeding up their caravan with magic. The driver watched him out of the corner of their eye, sweating as the vehicle picked up speed. The bandit cart rained arrows on their caravan, ripping holes through the canvas top.

One arrow hit a wheel axle, sending the caravan on a wobbly path down towards a ditch.

In a silent and practiced motion, the boy climbed out of the caravan as it was moving, hooking a leg through the driver's door to keep steady. He grabbed onto the wobbling wheel, casting a mending spell as arrows whizzed past his ears. One flew right through one of his hoop earrings, and if his sister wasn't preoccupied with lighting up the bandit cart she would have high-fived him for that.

The wheel snapped back into balance once his incantation finished. He pulled his body back up next to the driver, secure in his seat as his sister and the other passengers finished off the cart behind them. Through the mirror, the driver and the elf watched the cart veer off into a ditch, catching flames.

"Where did you learn to do _that?"_ the driver asked, straightening their trajectory.

"Self-taught. You learn a lot on the road, m'dude," the elf smiled wide, leaning back into his seat, "Mind telling the interviewers about that for me?"

The driver laughed nervously, picking up speed. "I'll do what I can, but you know these people are very selective with applicants."

"Hmmmm. I think they need new blood."

His sister popped her head in from the back, pulling her brother back into the passenger space. "Hey, come back here! This lady wants to ask what happened at the front." She grinned, pointing to a young human woman holding a bag of books. Seated next to her was another young human, built large and tough. Both waved. "This is my brother! Doesn't take well to new people, but, like, that's his fucking problem."

"Shove off, I'm not getting buddy-buddy with the competition," the elf said, taking a seat next to his sister, "All I did was fix the axle."

The human man's eyes lit up. "You did it while we were moving, though! _That's_   vehicle proficiency."

"You and your sister are extremely talented for not being formally trained," the woman said, cracking open a journal, "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

It wasn't talent. It was stealing books out of public libraries. It was reading during any spare moment, during night watches and meals. It was gambling until they won the money to afford components. It was bribing old wizards in humble towns to teach them how to read incantations. It was failing a complicated spell that took months to gather components for. It was pretending to be a fortune teller even though his divination skills sucked ass, but it paid for food that night. It was starving one night, conjuring a feast the next night. It was watching his sister go through schools of magic trying to find the right one, trying her hardest not to waste resources finding what felt right. It was nursing his sister because she accidentally burnt an entire section of skin off of her leg. It was staging duels with his sister as a more creative way to panhandle. It was how he bonded with his sister.

It took years. Longer than any two people should take to learn magic. If they were humans, they'd be dead long before being able to finish studying.

If only they had a teacher.

"Nah, I'm good. Gonna catch a nap after all that action."

The caravan sped off on the road. Even though the canvas was worn and torn from the arrow cloud, the design on the outside of the caravan showed through beautifully: A logo with intersecting circles of multiple colors, with the letters IPRE floating in the middle.

* * *

"Would you mind telling me why you want to adopt Angus?"

After the magic lesson, Mr. McElroy asked to sit alone with Taako. He had asked to do this with all the candidates, but he had a lot of questions since the poisoning. Enough time had passed for Taako to steady himself, but it was clear that a few subjects stayed tender. It was nice, Mr. McElroy didn't push too hard on questions that Taako hesitated on. Maybe Angus asked him not to.

Although, this was one question Mr. McElroy didn't let up on.

"That's--"

"Personal? Yes. This is a very personal case." Mr. McElroy drummed his fingers on his notepad. "The visitation records show that you have requested Angus visit more than the other two candidates combined. Magnus also claimed that you speak to Angus on his stone daily."

Taako shrank in his seat. "Is that not allowed?"

"It's allowed. It's encouraged. It's good for Angus to have positive experiences with the adults in his life." Mr. McElroy shuffled a few papers around, pulling up Taako's file. "I'm curious as to why. That's all. You're Taako from T.V., what's the benefit of you adopting a child?"

Taako didn't want to talk about this. Not to anyone--much less a near-stranger. But Barry's voice rang at the back of his head, reminding him that he needed to be a little more open if he wanted to win this case. Taako took in a breath. "I'm not--it's not for me."

"Oh?" He smiled, leaning forward.

"You saw the magic lesson. Angus is..." Taako paused. He had to speak slowly, carefully. This was a chore, bearing out his reasoning in front of someone else. Hopefully he wouldn't have to do this sort of thing much longer. "He's very good. At magic. When he came to the Bureau, he took an interest in it, so I started teaching him. Angus needs different support than a normal kid does, and. Uh. I don't know how I know what I'm doing, but he's...I think he's doing well."

"I wouldn't know. Angus seems stressed. Because of the trial, I assume?" It didn't seem like a question, but the way he said it, it sounded like he was asking Taako for an answer.

"He...uh. There are a couple reasons."

"Such as?" He clicked his pen.

Taako shook his head. Openness can only go so far at once. "You'll have to ask the boy on that one. Told me a few things in confidence that I can't just blurt out."

Mr. McElroy tilted his head. "You're keeping a secret for Angus?"

"I'd be a shitty teacher if I started gossiping about my student without his knowledge." Taako noticed the surprised expression on Mr. McElroy's face. Oh, right. Social worker. "I'd be a sucky teacher?"

"You swear around the boy." Another statement that demanded an answer.

"He doesn't like it when adults change their speech around him. It's patronizing and dumb." Taako picked at the edges of his hat. "Besides, he's a good kid and knows how to speak well. Better off than me, I was swearing off way fucking more than he did when I was eleven."

"Such a long time ago, wasn't that?" Mr. McElroy chuckled. "When you were Angus' age. What was that like?"

Taako didn't answer. He was frozen. Eleven was the year when he and Lup stayed with their aunt. It was a dimly lit shack on their grandfather's old property, right next to the farm. She was the first relative that believed Lup when she cried over a now dead name. She taught the two how to cook for themselves when she came back home late from work. Nothing fancy, but it tasted better than the dirt they ate at their cousin's house. She was the only adult that Taako and Lup came to trust. And if their grandfather hadn't taken the two to do hard labor on the farm the next year, and if their aunt wasn't killed by bandits on the way back from a supply run, would their life had gone any different? Would it have been better?

"I think that's it for today, Taako." Mr. McElroy packed his things, and it was only then that Taako realized he had been out of it for a while. "We're going to be starting the next big phase of the investigation soon. When are you available for a meeting next week?"

The two hammered out dates and times. Angus and Magnus found their way into the room at some point, chatting up a still foggy Taako. He didn't respond much, and he didn't know what to say--it was obvious enough that everyone in the room left him alone after getting the information they needed. He stood in the room, alone. It felt like his feelings were bubbling over like a boiling pot every single day now. It was only a matter of time before something spilled over or burst. And Taako was not super excited to do that in front of anybody. 

Damn, he really had to get his act together. 

Or, at the very least, he really needed Lup to come back into her body. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you could call this the calm before the storm? Big plot incoming! (Ya'll should be worried)  
> Thanks to everyone for the support and comments, as always!


	11. Through the Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus gets ready for the world's most dangerous sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, content warning!  
> The second half of this chapter gets a little more in-depth into some of what Angus' aunts did when he was younger. If you're at all squeamish about child neglect or alcohol, stop reading this chapter and go to the end notes after the scene where Angus leaves and Magnus hugs Taako.  
> You're technically not missing anything if you skip, you just miss details. An overview is talked about in the first half (which I left intentionally vague so it's not too bad if you're skipping).

Angus McDonald sat with his little briefcase, listening to Mr. McElroy explain the next part of his investigation to the candidates. Angus had already spoken to him extensively about it; Mr. McElroy was hesitant to do it at first because of the poisoning incident. Magnus was more hesitant. But Angus insisted. It would be good evidence. He could handle it.

It was only a little dangerous.

Angus clutched the recording gem. _Just a little prodding and they'd break._ His eyes met the ceiling as Mr. McElroy spoke.

"Angus will live with each candidate for a week. Once in the middle of the week and once at the end of the week, I will come over and evaluate Angus' treatment in your homes."

_And at least one of them won't pass._ Angus took in a breath. _Maybe two, if I can push her far enough._

"The first week goes to Lauren McDonald, the second to Violet McDonald, and the third to Taako."

_It'll probably be fine._

Angus only half-listened to Mr. McElroy after that. He knew what he was going to say; Angus helped write the rules for the live-in investigation. Even so, he felt afraid. An entire catalog of horrible things could happen while he was at Lauren's--not to mention all of the things that could happen once Angus decided to push a few buttons. He knew he could call Mr. McElroy up at any time of the week and get out of it, but he needed evidence. Lots of it.

Okay, maybe he didn't _need_   it.

Maybe he wanted to get enough to get his aunts out of his hair long-term.

Because, honestly, it wouldn't take much to swing the whole thing in Taako's favor. That wouldn't be enough, though. Angus was tired of waiting for somebody else to figure it out. After living on the moon, Angus got an idea of how adults _should_ act while taking care of children. It didn't match up with what his aunts did. And now? Angus was angry. He was the world's greatest detective, and he was bound to determine to unmask these aunts. They'd done enough to him. Time for a little payback. He deserved that, right?

Angus knew it was dangerous. But he wasn't in the mood to play victim in this.

This was just a normal detective job. He just had a bigger lead than usual.

Time for Angus McDonald to wreck shop.

* * *

No, nope, Taako hated this.

A week with Violet, all things considered, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. She wanted control and order, and having Angus over her roof would allow her both. Taako had lived with an uncle like that for a year and a half--wanted things _just so._ They don't account for the fact that children have a little something called free will and opinions. They don't factor in their aspirations. They want you to go to law school? You go to law school. They have a plan, and if it's not followed to the letter they'll lash out. It's a shitty place to live. But for a week? Doable. As long as you play their games in their house, they won't hurt you. Might get some fancy food out of it. She'd also be on her best behavior--probably wouldn't pull another stunt like before. It would be a claustrophobic situation, Angus wouldn't get free time, and Taako would have to do damage control once he had the boy under his roof, but Angus would be safe.

A week with Lauren wouldn't be safe.

He heard the stories from Angus. She was married to his uncle, divorced, and when his uncle dropped off the map? She figured she could just keep him. Didn't know how to take care of a kid. Assumed that Angus was like an adult, and could take care of himself. Got a lot of extra income in her shitty house with all of Angus' boy wonder detective money. And that's a horrible reason to keep a child in the house: for the money. It made sense that Angus would take a job at the BOB so hastily. Anything to get out of Lauren's house. It made Taako's blood boil.

The Tres Horny Boys teased the daylights out of this kid, and he still loved them. Still smiled when they walked into the room. Stayed up all night on Candlenights to make sure they were safe from the crystals. Maybe some of the goofs went too far. Taako hadn't really thought about it, it didn't matter to him--except, now, knowing where the kid came from, Angus' interactions with the Tres Horny Boys might have been the first positive experience he had with adults, even if it was shitty in retrospect.

But better than the aunts.

Hold on, what was with the looks? Mr. McElroy and Magnus were staring at him. Oh, shit. Did they ask him a question? Spacing out in the middle of this meeting was not great. And was he shaking? Hopefully it wasn't too visible.

He looked to Angus. Eyes forward, neutral expression, even breathing. Not the face of a kid who was about to go live with _actual human garbage_ for a week. It was probably a defense mechanism, and a severely practiced one at that; maybe it came from his detective work. Right? Angus was so calm while he was solving the Rockport murder. A more even temperament than a normal kid his age. Pretending everything was fine should have come easy to him. Taako knew how to do that--shit, now he was following the kid's lead. Just pretend everything was fine.

Lup used to do that a lot, too.

Taako felt like vomiting again.

"Are you okay with that, Taako?" Mr. McElroy asked, and by the look on his face it seemed like he was repeating himself.

Taako looked at Magnus--come on, big guy, what was he talking about? He needed a clue. Magnus nodded quickly, so whatever Taako was agreeing to was good. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine. No problem."

Mr. McElroy paused, suspicious, but asked to meet Lauren and Angus alone. He said goodbye to Magnus, Taako, and Violet, and left with the other two. Violet grimaced at Taako briefly before walking away. Magnus waited until Violet was out of sight before crushing Taako in a hug.

"Ouch--Fuck, Magnus, cut that out!"

"You're worried about Angus!" Magnus didn't let go, and Taako kept his arms limp. 

He rolled his eyes, overdramatic. "Yeah, I've got a right to be."

"I know." Magnus looked to the floor.

Taako sighed. Knowing Magnus wasn't going to let go, he laid his arms around his shoulders, reciprocating the hug. It looked funny to any witnesses, because Magnus was just too big for someone like Taako to get his arms all the way around. "I just--fuck, I wish I could be there for him right now."

"That's sweet, Taako." 

"Yeah...fucking, whatever." His eyes were fixed in the direction Angus left.

"Is he...going to be okay at Lauren's?"

"No." Taako groaned. He mashed his face into Magnus' shoulder. "I mean. He won't  _die."_

Magnus made a small noise. "I don't like that."

"Yeah, no shit," Taako said, pulling back from the grip hold. "He's smart. He'll call the fucking social worker if shit breaks bad."

"I kind of want to beat the shit out of both of them."

"Don't we all," he said, folding his arms. "And, like? No magic, either. Taako wants to do a punch on them."

"Like that would do anythi--ow!" Magnus was interrupted by a swift punch to the arm. It didn't hurt that much, but it surprised him. 

Magnus and Taako parted ways. Both of them had two weeks of free time now. The thought put a bad taste in Taako's mouth.

* * *

Angus McDonald, seven years old, dropped his briefcase at the door.

His uncle _insisted_ they move in with his new squeeze.

Her name was Lauren, and Angus could tell within two meetings that she hated children. Lauren groaned when Angus tried to speak to her, but once his uncle was in the room she suddenly started doting on him. Once she realized the boy was pretty self-sufficient, she didn't pay Angus much mind. At least, she didn't until she found out that Angus had a _new job._ Then, she was _ALL_   about Angus. There was some mystery to be solved there, but the boy didn't have enough experience to crack it.

Angus didn't really mind if Lauren didn't like him; that's fine! His grandpa once told him that not everyone was going to like him, and that wasn't his fault.

She had been dating his uncle for three months, and they were engaged already. Angus hadn't read a lot of books with kissing in them, but something in his mind screamed that this was too soon. They didn't kiss a lot, and Lauren didn't say she loved him, but nobody had told Angus a lot about relationships. He wasn't sure what was normal. He didn't really care!

Angus had been absorbed in his work lately, so he didn't need to think too much about his home life. Lots of times, he was at the police station or out on the field. They were training him to be a detective after he helped solved a murder on accident. Most serial killers and murderers wouldn't expect a child to come up and start collecting evidence, so he was great at undercover work.

But the longer Lauren stayed with his uncle, the longer he had time to notice things.

* * *

Angus McDonald, nine years old, dropped his briefcase at the door.

His uncle had gone missing. Lauren didn't seem concerned.

She moved into another house, taking Angus with her even though his other aunt was screaming to take him back. This house wasn't as good as the last one, but Lauren was living below her means and Angus could appreciate that. Building up a savings pool was fiscally responsible. Although, she _did_ spend a lot of money on alcohol. But only the money she took as payment for taking care of him.

Lauren had married his uncle when Angus was eight. He still hadn't read many kissing books, but when he did, the image of the characters on the page didn't line up with what Lauren and his uncle did. He wasn't sure which version of love to expect. Again, he wasn't super interested--the closest he'd gotten was one boy that kissed his cheek after he solved a murder for him. And that was kind of nice.

She still...didn't like Angus. At all. Now that his uncle was gone, she didn't pretend to like him so much. At least she didn't micromanage him like Aunt Violet used to do.

Angus was still absorbed in his work. It was the only thing that made him valuable to Lauren, so he did it as best he could. And the work was fun enough--everything was a puzzle! Just like his Caleb Cleveland novels! He was good at it, too; criminals underestimated him. When they figured out Angus was actually a genius detective, it was too late.

* * *

Angus McDonald, ten years old, was tired of this shit.

Lauren's house, without a question, was the shittiest place Angus had been in.

If you were a normal person asked to come in, you might make the assumption that Lauren was disorganized. You might think _oh, she must be busy at work or something. It's a little messy in here but that's okay._ The dirty dishes laying around the living room were fine for a young university student, but it was pathetic in an adult's home. But no, not disorganized. She just didn't care. About anything.

He had a theory that she murdered his uncle. No evidence yet. _He'd find it._

Angus was too familiar with alcohol for a kid his age. Don't worry, he didn't drink it; but he watched his aunt drink it. Had to hold her hair back a few times.

Lauren forgot to make dinner half the time. Fine, because Angus got food at work. Not fine, because she'd eat his leftovers when he brought it back. This resulted in Angus shoveling food in at work and eating stale crackers at night.

It was fine, because Angus had an out. He was going to visit his grandfather. If only for a few weeks, he'd be out of the house. And he got to go _alone,_ no aunts on the train with him. He might see Violet when he got there, but he had a day's travel by himself. No adults. Adults have been so dumb lately. If he was an adult, he would have noticed that he was exhibiting warning signs all over the place. But none of the adults asked if he was alright, or if everything was okay at home, because Angus got very good at playing his character.

Angus McDonald: Boy Detective! The police's darling child. A kid that hid a crossbow in his sleeve and a magic interception book in his arms. And most of it wasn't an act, because he was a very good detective, and despite his situation, a happy boy. He couldn't let himself get coarse because of his shitty aunt.

Maybe if he was lucky, something good would happen on this train.

* * *

Angus McDonald, eleven years old, dropped his briefcase at the door.

He thought he was done with Lauren.

He thought he was done with her insistence on him working longer hours. How she refused to send him off to school because it would impede his work.

He thought he was done with hearing her drunk ramblings about his missing uncle. With dragging her over to bed in the middle of the night. 

He thought he was done with being fought over. Done being caught in between  _too pushy_ and  _too lazy._

But he'd be done soon.

Just a little pressing, a couple nights over, and he'd be done with Lauren.

Again, she was the easiest to take down. All she needed to do was come home blackout drunk _once,_ or miss dinner, or--hell, there were a hundred ways she could mess this up, and Angus knew she'd run into at least ten before the week was over. Or even half over.

This was the first time he walked through this door and felt good about it.

It was time to take down a criminal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading these end notes 'cause you skipped the second half of the chapter: Once again, you didn't miss anything, you just missed details of Angus' childhood. There was a little bit of prose about Angus getting pumped to take down his aunts. Also, Angus is okay! He's going to be fine. I promise.  
> If you're reading this because you read the second half and you're sad now, SORRY!! Again, Angus will be fine in the end. He's going to get some sweet revenge though.  
> Thanks for reading, everyone!


	12. At Lauren's (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup's back. Taako lets it all out. Angus eats a raw carrot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild content warning (it's not actually that bad but I like to be safe) this chapter deals with....uh, Angus is at his aunt's house, so like. it's not great??? Lauren isn't even in this chapter though, it's mostly stone of Farspeech conversations between him, Lup, and Taako.  
> either way, if you're really sensitive about alcohol (there's like, one offhand comment about it) and neglect, tread carefully

Lup woke up, stretching her arms over her head. No light filtered in through the windows; it was late. Barry was next to her, but her brother was missing. Which...hmm, no, that wasn't right. Taako was there when she fell asleep. Something had to have got him out of bed, because he wasn't one to just leave once he woke up.

Lup had a pretty good reason to leave the bed: new body was _hungry_.

Made sense. She had been out for a long time. Lup figured she should go into the kitchen and flex her culinary muscles. She carefully untangled herself out of Barry's grasp and headed out.

Taako's voice rang out from the kitchen. Damn it, he beat her to it.

"No meat? Like, at all?"

Ugh, were they out of meat? That took out a good chunk of meals that Lup could make.

"What--who the fuck doesn't keep oil in the kitchen?"

That was weird. Lup swore Taako kept close tabs on what was in the kitchen at all times. And didn't he just go buy ingredients yesterday? He seemed so excited to cook with Lup again, there was no way he would forget _meat_ and _oil._ Lup decided it was creepy to listen in, and threw the kitchen door open.

Huh. Taako wasn't cooking.

He was sitting on a stool next to the counter, head in his hand, speaking into his stone of Farspeech. For once, Taako didn't try to hide that he was visibly upset once he saw Lup. That was a good start. Once she entered the kitchen, he left his seat and approached her, still speaking into the stone. "Fucking--okay, Angus, Lup's here, I need a second opinion on this. I'm turning your volume up." He scrolled his thumb in circles over the stone as he spoke.

"Taako, what's going on?"

"Angus' bitch of an aunt got too drunk to feed him, and there's, like, nothing in her kitchen." Taako gripped Lup's shirt, and something was bubbling up in his eyes. "I don't--I don't fucking remember what we used to do right now, I'm--I can't think--"

"Sorry for bothering you, ma'am..." Angus' voice was frightened. "I, uh, I kind of thought I could do this without any sort of help? But I-I guess I got in over my head..."

" _The fuck you did,_ Angus, I--ughhhhhh..." Taako grabbed at his face. He really wanted to chew the boy out for pulling such a _dumb_ stunt, but that wasn't going to help, and he was about to cry in front of Lup, and--

"Alright, so, here's the deal: Angus, it's shitty, but you've got to remember that you're at this house for an entire week. No dinner on day two? You can't trust this woman's food schedule, so now you have to make your own as an emergency. You have to make what's already in the kitchen right now last for an entire week. This isn't just tonight's problem, it's your week's problem."

Lup jumped right on it. Her confident voice cut through the groggy babbling Taako was stammering out before. Instructions she thought she would never have to repeat came out--how to ration out food, how to hide food from relatives, how to survive on stale bread and jams. She left him advice on how to find food in strange places, what foods he could eat past the expiration date. Asked if there was anywhere he could sneak out to buy snacks. She was even good at doling out revenge ideas--Angus was particularly excited to water down Lauren's hangover coffee. The whole time through, Taako stood beside her, arm linked through hers, and listened in silence.

"And...when it's time for you to stay over here, Taako and I will make whatever you want. Right?"

Taako could only nod. When he remembered that Angus was over a stone, he quickly stuttered out a vocal affirmation. Angus was very polite when he thanked Lup. His voice was so bright; not the voice of a child that was in danger of starving. Lup left Taako to speak to Angus for a few more minutes--she was staggered at just how _comforting_ he was to the boy, practically cooing into the stone.

As soon as Angus hung up, Taako had his arms around Lup, stone still in hand.

"Taako?" Lup hugged him tight, patting his back. "Oof, Taako, c'mon...He'll survive. Smart kid."

"This is what I wanted to _avoid_ , Lup." His voice was weepy. He kept his head buried in her shoulder. "Angus wasn't supposed to learn how to deal with shit like this."

"You know as soon as they put him out in our house, he's yours, right? There's no comparison."

"That doesn't matter right now, he's in the _worst place in the world_." The longer he spoke, the more his voice wavered. It looked like his eyes were going to flood out of their sockets.

"We've done worse," she said, a little chuckle at the end. Maybe a little insensitive, but...it was true.

"Angus doesn't have a sister to watch his back," he snapped.

"He's got you." She ignored the bite in his voice, knowing he didn't mean to lash out. Maybe if she got to the heart of it... "Taako, what's going on? I mean, I'm all on board with this kid, he's great, but...why are you _adopting_ him? And don't you bullshit me, I'm looking for real answers."

"Lup, I..." Taako paused for a moment. It looked like he was trying to weigh his options--lie and deflect? Tell the truth? After what seemed like an eternity, he answered. It came out easier than expected. "I love Angus."

Lup blinked. "You--"

"Fuck, I--I know that's probably obvious, but I haven't really...said it out loud yet. And it's getting ridiculous, I'm at this point now--when I see him leave? Shatters my heart into, like, a million pieces. So he's so, so far away right now, and he's not getting fed, and--damn it!" Tears streamed down Taako's face, so quickly that he could hardly wipe them away in time. "He's--he's told me so much about his aunts and his family and it just. It reminds me too much of--it's exactly like--"

Lup was relieved. Finally, he was talking to somebody about this. To _her._ She sat him down, wiping off some of his face. "Exactly like our family, right?"

"If you can call them that." He softened when Lup spoke, though, and that was another good sign. "But...that's right. That's--that's right. That's exactly what it is."

"Hm."

"Is that bad?"

"No!" Lup drew circles on his back, like she used to when they were kids. "No, no, Taako, that's not bad at all, that's--that's good. Really."

He held her tighter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" She grinned, pulling back to speak to his face. "It's--fuck, you're like the dude that founded Fantasy Wendy's! The guy that started the whole adoption campaign because he loved his adoptive mom so much. That's chill as fuck."

Taako squinted, unimpressed. "Fantasy Wendy's doesn't exist in this plane."

"It _doesn't!?"_   Lup didn't mean to scream that out, but whoops. Taako let out a halfhearted laugh from hearing that. He was still crying, but. But good. Good, she got him to laugh. That's a start.

"It took us years to get to a good place, Lup, he's--Angus doesn't have that kind of time," Taako spat out, throwing Lup off guard. Now he was just...saying things, without being prompted. Like she had pulled on a plug and suddenly everything spilled out. "I-I want him to turn out okay. You know? I can't let another--"

Taako stopped. Lup nudged him to keep going.

He spoke again, barely audible. "I can't let him turn out like me."

" _Taako."_

"Come on, Lup! We're all thinking it!" He looked to the ceiling, blinking a few more tears out. "Look, I'm--I'm shit at, at _connecting,_  and, and I can't. Can't  _think_ the way I used to, you know? I didn't turn out the way I should have, alright, I get it--Taako didn't bake long enough. He's half done."

"Taako, you can't say that. You've got me and Barry, and everyone from the ship, and Kravitz, and now  _Angus,_ and probably a baker's dozen more people--not to mention the entire world of people who know you, and--"

"No, I get  _that._ Everyone loves Taako, I get that, it's just--" He messed with his braid, avoiding eye contact. "I can't, um. I can't do it back? I mean. To some people. But. Most people, I can't? And if Angus stays with those aunts I'm afraid he'll ice over like me and he won't be able to...just, have a normal life."

Hachi machi. There was a lot there. Lup made the executive decision to tackle the whole  _can't connect_ problem later, and focus on Angus. "We told him everything he needed to know. He's smart, Taako. Fuck, he's probably smarter than we were back then. And he's got a direct line to you if he needs it." She taps the stone. "And when it's all done? You and me can go out and...well. Dole out whatever punishment Angus thinks is right."

"Ye-yeah, that sounds good." He refused to look her in the eye.

Lup squeezed his arm. "You're going to do great."

"Do you--do you think I'm even capable of--"

" _Yes_." She brought him in for another tight hug. "Yes, absolutely. You're so--I don't know where it came from, but you're good with kids. Or at least, that specific kid. It's cute."

Taako stayed silent, but flashed a weak grin at her.

"And you're not doing it alone, alright? Barry and I had a very long conversation...I'm so ready to be a non-shitty aunt. Barry's already got his weird uncle act down pat. Magnus is there too, and I know Merle has his own kids to handle, but I'm sure he'd help. And Kravitz--fuck, Taako, I talked about Angus with him for _hours_. He's excited. This kid is going to have so much family in his life, you know that, right?" She slapped Taako on the back. "And that's not even _counting_ Davenport after I beat the sense back into him, and Carey and Killian, and everyone else he got attached to at the BOB, and _I know you won't like this_   but Lucretia, and--fucking, who's that lady that wants to do business with you now? Ren? Angus will never be alone again, you know that."

The grin turned to more of a genuine smile, and he let out a vague sound of approval.

Lup smiled back. "Don't wait so long to talk to me next time, dumbass." 

Taako took his sweet time calming down, but saying it all out loud and crying it out felt so _good._ He took time to breathe. Once Lup got up to make food, he hovered around her, and even slipped in to help out (even if making food this quick after the poisoning still made him feel sick). He felt too guilty to eat a full meal when Angus was left hungry, and try as she might Lup wasn't able to fix  _that--_ but he was stable now. 

Lup spoke up after a long period of silence. "Why don't we--we should _do_ something. Fill in the two week gap instead of biting your nails while waiting. Any ideas?"

"Yeah. I want to steal something." Taako pulled open one of the kitchen drawers, taking one of the forks and turning it over in his hands. "Something specific. Could take a while to track it all down."

Lup took the fork from his grip. "Lay it on me."

* * *

One week--or, maybe even less than that.

Mr. McElroy said he would do a mid-week check, so Angus really only had to worry about food for three more days. The advice he had gotten from Lup worked well--he genuinely wanted to stay at Lauren's as long as possible to gather evidence. Even if it was a little dangerous. But if he could survive the apocalypse, he could survive half a week at his shitty aunt's house. He made sure to log every single discomfort into the recording gem, and purposefully egged Lauren on a few times.

It was really fortunate Angus McDonald had a good heart; kid could be a supervillain if he really wanted to.

He took a half finished jar of peanut butter and some crackers from the pantry, knowing they would be very helpful if he ran out of food halfway through the week. He checked the fridge, which was stupidly empty--he wouldn't have called Taako if it wasn't a dead-end emergency--but he _did_ find a carrot.

Cool.

The rest of the kitchen search followed the same pattern. He found scraps of things lying around--nothing that could make a full meal, but enough to make do. The carrot was the most perishable thing. He went ahead and ate it raw. It was enough to tide him over for the night, so he took some of the non-perishables he did find and hid them in nooks around the kitchen. He did, however, take the crackers and peanut butter to his room. Just in case.

Angus didn't feel like practicing magic or deciphering journals that night. For a very brief moment, he worried that Taako would scold him for slacking--but Angus quickly remembered the way his voice wavered as he spoke over the stone. He would be more worried than anything.

So he just...laid in bed. Expending as little energy as possible.

Couldn't even fall asleep.

About an hour later, his stone of Farspeech lit up with a soft light--Taako's frequency. Of course, Angus picked up within one ring.

"Sir?"

"Is this a good time?" Taako's voice? No, no, it was different. Lup's voice. "Sorry, kid, it's just me."

"No, ma'am! I mean, don't be sorry!" He thought about chucking the recording stone across the room, but thought better of it. "Your advice was, really, a great help. I'm still kind of hungry right now but I'm trying to ration out the food I have for the rest of the week. I found a jar of peanut butter in here, I think that will last a very long time!"

"That's great, kid! Really, really great..." Her voice trailed off. It sounded so far away. Which, granted, she was--but not just in distance.

"Are you alright, ma'am?"

"Peachy. Hey, uh," Lup said, quiet, "you know you could...just. Um. Call Magnus, or something. If it gets to be too much. I'm sure he'd--he can talk to that social worker, can't he?"

"Ma'am, I'm--"

Her voice cut him off. She sounded so _huffy._ "Angus, you gotta find something else to call me. I'm not up for formal tags."

Angus thought for a few moments. "Miss?"

"I'm, like, quadruple married. I guess not in this plane yet, but..." A little laughter from the other end. "You can just say Lup, you know."

"Um, alright. Lup, I'm--no, no, that just. It doesn't sound like enough?"

"It's my name, kid." He couldn't see her, but he guessed she was pouting. "Although, if you want to freak Taako out, you could just call me Aunt Lup. I'd be down for that."

"Aunt Lup," Angus started, and heard a roar of laughter on the other end. "I, uh, I'm fine! It's not too much. Maybe I did bite off more than I could chew, with this live-in investigation, but...I know I need to do it!"

"Do you?" 

"...Yes?"

_"Angus."_

Angus sighed. "It's uh. Don't tell Taako?"

"Ooooooh, I get to be the  _enabler aunt,"_ she giggled.

Okay, now Angus  _did_ throw the recording gem across the room. Didn't want Mr. McElroy to hear this. "I'm getting revenge."

"Rev--" Lup snorted, unable to grasp the idea of such a small boy seeking revenge. " _Revenge?!"_

Angus hesitated before elaborating. "I don't think an adult should get away with the sort of things they've done. Not only to me, but. To my cousins? They're all adults now, but still..."

"No, no, Angus, that's perfect." Lup's voice switched to a whisper. "Just don't get in over your head."

"Can I call you if I do?"

"Of course, pumpkin." More laughter from the other end. "I should get going. I wanted to check on you, see if everything was--well. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, ma--Aunt Lup! I'll be fine. It's a challenge!" Angus adjusted his glasses, grinning even though she couldn't see. 

"Alright. Well. I'm going to go...uh. I'm...playing Reclaimer. So I'll talk to you later?"

Angus had a pretty good idea she meant _stealing,_ but he didn't feel like pressing on it. Now he was tired. "Wait--Aunt Lup." Angus still felt funny using that name, but...in a good way. "How do you spell your name?"

Lup sputtered. She started a few sentences. Eventually, she laughed and said, "Angus, I burned it into the wall right in front of you."

"Right."

More silence. "You're _supposed to be a genius detective."_

"Yes, um--goodbye!"

Angus was more than a little embarrassed to mess that one up. He shook his head, trying to push the thought out, and took Taako's journal out from his briefcase. All he needed was a word to make the key. Nothing he tried so far cracked it, but remembering that Lup's name wasn't spelled with double letters opened her name up as a possibility. Hands shaking, he wrote out a quick key using her name.

And--who would have thought? 

It worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone!! I decided to celebrate by updating both of my bigger fics today (and I might update the Magnus one too if I have time before midnight? Let's see where the night takes us)  
> Whoo, this conversation was a long time coming, wasn't it?


	13. At Lauren's (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus doesn't get his revenge, but something good happens.

A soft blue light came off of Taako's stone of Farspeech at two in the morning. Taako squinted, still half asleep, as he tried to remember which frequency this was. He thought he had made it clear of his "magic missile the _shit_ out of anyone who calls while he's asleep" policy, but apparently he had to school someone. Who the fuck was light blue?

Fuck. Fuck, shit, that's right--light blue was Angus.

No magic missiles, then.

Taako dove for his stone, which had rolled itself under Taako's bed. He managed to pick up before the light went out, and scooted out of his boyfriend's arms before speaking. "Angus? It's late, little dude, what are you doing awake?"

Angus' voice crackled into the air. He skipped past his normal greetings. "I wasn't planning on calling unless it was an emergency, but..." Silence on the other end. A shuffling sound from the other end. "I can't get to sleep, that's it."

All the movement stirred Kravitz out of sleep. He rubbed his eyes, pointing groggily at the stone. "What's going on?"

Before Taako could open his mouth to answer, Angus' voice chimed out, hopeful. "Is that Mister Kravitz?"

Admittedly, Taako felt embarrassed. He started to shuffle out of bed, just in case Angus wanted to talk about Lauren. "Yeah. Hold on, I'll get out and--"

"Oh, um, that's alright, sir! This isn't a sensitive subject." Angus spoke quickly. "I don't want to displace you. He can listen too. It's not important."

It shouldn't have been so gods damned _charming_ for Angus to be this attached to Kravitz so fast, but.

"Important enough to call me in the middle of the night. Don't give me that." Taako settled back in the sheets. "Is everything alright?"

The stone crackled quietly as Angus thought of what to say. Taako didn't take to the silence well, and even Kravitz had turned his ear to the stone to listen. Soon enough, the tiny voice came through again. "I just...wanted to talk? If that's not okay I understand, but I was--"

" _Angus._ It's alright. Let's talk." What a _relief._ From his voice, Taako could tell that Angus hadn't been physically harmed by Lauren. Maybe he was just worried? Lonely? He decided taking a moment to distract him from his situation would be best. "You practicing any spells?"

"Um." The sound of pages turning came out from the stone. "I used mage hand to pull something down from a high cabinet. I haven't had a lot of...time to do it otherwise."

"It's fine if you don't feel up to practicing," Taako blurted out. "It's--best if you practiced in a safe place anyway."

"Right. Um. That's more correct. I didn't want you to think I was slacking."

"You're too much of a nerd to slack off, Agnes."

"I guess." Angus laughed on the other end. "I cracked your cipher yesterday."

"Oh, good job!" Taako brought his hands near the stone and golf-clapped over them. "Let me be honest, kid, I don't even _remember_ what was in there or how to crack the code, so it's great that you were able to open that puppy up."

"How could you not remember? This is full of--" Angus' voice fizzled out. The stone went dark. A couple seconds later, the blue light crinkled back to life. "--it's, um--oh, shoot, hold on--"

The stone's light flickered on and off intermittently, and went steady again after a minute. Angus' voice didn't come back through immediately, but when it did, it was cracked and faint. "It's alright. There's...interference, I think. Let me try this." Taako could hear the sound of a small piece of jewelry being taken off and thrown off into the distance. When Angus spoke again, it came out normally. "Is this better, sir?"

"We can hear you loud and clear now, pumpkin."

"Good. It was the recording gem, in case you were wondering. I held the stone too close to it." Some shuffling from the other end, and then the sound of pages turning. "So, um, I'm surprised you didn't remember what was in the book. Do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Ask me later, why don't you?" It couldn't have been important, Taako thought. He couldn't care less right now--the recording gem was out of the picture, and there were a couple of questions he needed to get out right now. Weird journals could wait. "How's Lauren's?"

"Not great." Angus' voice had gone weak from the question. "I had crackers for dinner. Mr. McElroy is coming to visit tomorrow, so I was considering using the peanut butter too, but I was also thinking of staying for the rest of the week."

Kravitz mouthed the words _just crackers?_   Taako nodded, a pained look on his face. He sighed, speaking up. "Angus, you don't need to do that. I'd go ahead and use the peanut butter if I were you. Or, at least, I would if it wouldn't kill me."

"I don't want to run out."

"How much is there?"

"Well--I haven't used any yet, it's half eaten, but I was saving it for an emergency!"

For a solid thirty seconds, Taako sat and stewed over the dumb shit this smart boy was getting into. _Doofus, this **is** an emergency!  _ "Angus, are you kidding? You're not going to run out in a week, that shit's filling. And let Mr. McElroy take you back tomorrow, don't--don't do this."

"I just thought it would be a good idea to--"

"To have Kravitz come visit you for business instead?" Taako took a breath. He sounded angry, he knew. Because he was. Angus had no reason to be so blasé about his health. "You're not invincible."

Kravitz leaned in towards the stone to offer support. "Taako is right, Angus, you can't be reckless."

"I--"

Taako made a frantic _tch_ _tch tch_ noise with his tongue, waggling his finger even though Angus couldn't see it. "I'm not hearing another word from you until I listen to the sound of a spoon knocking against the side of a peanut butter jar."

"But--"

_"Angus."_ He couldn't hold back the fear and anger lacing his voice. This was probably the most negative tone he'd taken with the boy, even if it was only one word. He almost thought he took it too far, because Angus didn't speak back. A full minute of silence followed. Finally, Angus sighed, and the sound of a plastic jar top being removed with a _pop_ rang out from the other end.

"Alright."

Every muscle in Taako's body relaxed at the sound. "Seriously, Angles, I didn't think you could be so _stubborn."_

"I wonder where he gets it from," Kravitz said, lying back down. Angus' laugh was muffled by the gross amounts of peanut butter he had just eaten.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon went by in a blur. Angus was shuffled so fast out of Lauren's house, he barely had time to register what was happening. Didn't have a chance to say anything about his time at Lauren's. Magnus' rugged intimidating form did a hell of a good job shutting her up as Angus packed his things. He got pulled through the door, little briefcase carried by Magnus. Mr. McElroy didn't follow them outside, but insisted he should have a very, very long chat with Lauren. Magnus hugged him tight, comforting words flowing out of him at a rate Angus wasn't able to process.

Now out of the apartment, the two had some time to kill. Magnus, without asking, took Angus out to eat. Which, yes--he was definitely thankful for a real meal. It was the first one he had in three days (four, if Angus counted the day before he went to Laurens: too nervous to eat). He pretended to eat normally, as if his stomach wasn't burning a hole through his skin. This didn't work. He ate all of the complimentary bread rolls before anyone even handed him a menu.

Mysteriously, Taako and the rest of the family "just happened" to drop by and sit next to Magnus and Angus.

"Wink wink, nudge nudge," said Magnus.

"You're not supposed to say that out loud, Maggie." Lup said, directly after ordering another plate of food for Angus. He was wedged squarely in between both twins, not a lot of space in between the three. This was mostly for his protection--Merle brought his kids, and Mookie was trying to wrestle him again. Unlike with Violet's, Angus actually enjoyed the contact. He didn't know why there was a difference, but it was nice to feel comfortable around adults.

"Come on, it's not like it's a secret." Magnus, even if he hadn't been starving for the past few days, was tearing into the largest cut of steak Angus had ever seen.

"It's a secret to that social worker, isn't it?" Barry sat in the corner of their booth, across from Lup. "We're trying to play by the rules here."

Lup laughed, kicking Barry under the seat. "Too late for that, babe."

"Magnus should still at least _pretend_ to be following them. Taako is." Kravitz had himself situated in between Magnus and Mavis. "You are, right?"

"Mhmm." Taako was uncharacteristically quiet during dinner. Angus saw his leg bouncing from the corner of his eye. Everyone else at the table shot sympathetic glances in his direction. Hopefully his stay at Violet's wouldn't worry him as much.

"If we knew it only took a kid to get him to follow directions, it would have made the time on the ship a _lot_ easier," Merle said, laughing.

"Are we sure it's not just Angus?" Lup laughed too, ruffling Angus' hair.

"Um," Angus started--and all eyes immediately went to him, because these were the first words out of his mouth since he left Lauren's apartment. "Sorry for interrupting, but. I uh. Magnus, how did--um, how did Mr. McElroy know to take me out of the apartment so quickly? He didn't call me about it."

The table went silent.

Taako started. "It was my fault--"

Lup hit him in the shoulder. "Shut your fucking mouth, it was Magnus--"

Merle cut in, slamming the table. "Don't blame Magnus for asking a normal question!"

Magnus had his head in his hands. "No, no, she's right, it was definitely me, I shouldn't have--"

Barry pat Magnus on the back. "I don't think it's really anyone's _fault_ \--"

Kravitz could only look to the ground. "You have to understand how _frightening_ it was to listen to Angus on that call--"

_"Excuse me!"_   Angus had to shout over the rest of them. He quieted down once eight sets of eyes were directly focused on him. "I don't--please, can you just say what happened and you can hash this out later? I am only out for information here."

Mavis spoke up. "What's going on, exactly? Is Angus alright?"

"That's--alright, this is a conversation I shouldn't be having right now." Merle grabbed Mavis and Mookie, leaving the booth. He waved the table goodbye. "Come on, we're out. Good luck with all of this."

The rest of the group waited until Merle's kids were out of earshot before picking the conversation back up. "Taako didn't say anything, promise." Magnus shifted uncomfortably. "I, uh. I asked him if he had talked to you, and..."

Lup made a little exploding gesture with her hands. "Boom, waterworks. And Magnus got so worried he called Mr. McElroy right on the spot."

Taako hit her arm, but there wasn't any heart in it. "You're gonna ruin my brand if you say shit like that so loosely."

"Not my fault your eyes have been faucets lately," she said, frowning. "I know this is a big deal, but you're not doing a great job of  _dealing."_

"Hey, fuck you."

Barry raised his hand. "No offense, I'm all in this, but you've broken down at least three times a week since this started." 

"Whatever, whatever, I don't give a shit." Taako turned to look directly at Angus for the first time that afternoon. "Angus, I'm sorry I blew your cover. I was hella worried."

The rest of the table leapt up in a chorus of audible gasps.

"Wha--"

"Did you just fucking--"

"I think he just  _apologized_ to someone."

"Where the  _FUCK_ did my brother go?"

Angus cut in, acting as if he didn't hear all of the cries of disbelief. "It's fine. It's...alright! I uh. I just." He sighed, looking over to Lup. "I wanted to get a little revenge on Aunt Lauren, and I thought if I stayed for longer I could--I don't know. I didn't have it all planned out."

"You--" Taako couldn't help but snicker. "You're telling me that  _Angus McDonald_  tried to go on a revenge stunt?"

Angus' face lit up a bright read. "I just--you know."

Taako sighed, hooking an arm around the boy. "Next time you want to pull something like that, make sure you're not in mortal danger and get somebody to spot you. Preferably Magnus, because he kind of sort of led a revolution once." 

Barry pinched the bridge of his nose. "Taako, don't encourage the boy to do revenge."

"Yeah, that's what  _we're_ going to do after this bullshit's all over," Lup said, grinning. 

Kravitz shrugged. "Are we sure she's not going to go to jail anyway?"

"If Mr. McElroy doesn't, I'll put her in myself," Magnus said.

The group talked for a few hours, less on edge after Angus and Taako actually entered the conversation. Angus felt...bad, of course. But having real food in his stomach helped. Hearing that Taako was genuinely worried about him helped. And all of the people around the table felt like family. Angus must have looked tired, because soon enough Magnus decided to take him home. They all left the restaurant together, but Taako and Angus hung back a little from the rest as they walked out. 

"I really am sorry for...losing it and blowing your cover."

"It's alright, sir." 

"I didn't--um. You'll talk to Lup if you have to vent now, I assume."

"What?" Angus shook his head. "Sir, no, that's--I mean, I did _once_ , because she's very easy to talk to. But...it would take a lot more than you accidentally ratting me out for me to stop trusting you. It was an accident! I'm. I'm a little sad, because I couldn't get her. But if I cried on accident and blew your cover, would you be mad at me?"

Taako groaned. "Don't make me answer that."

"I'm sure I know the answer anyway." Angus grinned. "If I have a problem at Violet's, I'll...I'll call you as soon as I can. Even if it's something small. Is that alright?"

"I would prefer that." 

Magnus called up from ahead. "Hey, Taako, give him back! I'm taking him to get some rest." 

"Fine," Taako yelled back. He turned to Angus, hesitating for a second before kissing the top of his head. "Be safe, pumpkin. Love you."

Angus froze, eyes wide and jaw dropped. Soon enough, he was wearing a big goofy grin, about to ramble off into eight different directions--

Taako had officially ran out of emotional stamina for the day. "Pl-please don't make a big deal out of it. Can we do this later?"

"Okay. I understand. Um--" Angus took a breath and walked towards Magnus, waving Taako goodbye. "Bye, sir! I love you too!"

As Angus walked away, he could hear a cacophony of laughter and praise from the rest of the family. Sure, Angus McDonald was a bright, smart boy--enough to see through the bullshit walls Taako built up around him. He knew how to read between the lines, and had no doubts that Taako cared for him. But hearing it out loud? That's magic. It made the upcoming week at Violet's almost worth it. 

Oh, shit. Right.

Violet's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to everyone for reading, kudos, and commenting! Everyone who encouraged Angus to do a Big Revenge in the comments: oh my GOD you're enabling this boy. don't worry, he'll get it at some point. but like, when he's not starving??????  
> Next time: Angus gets carted off to Violet's house. Davenport comes back.


	14. At Violet's (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Across a great distance, two people are hit with an excessive and heartbreaking feeling of loneliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's up everyone, back at it again with a CONTENT WARNING: this chapter goes into detail about Angus' early childhood with Aunt Violet. He doesn't get physically hurt, but there's a lot of emotional manipulation there. If that's not something you can stomach reading, just go below the line!

A child's first memory should be gentle, or adorable, or loving. Here's a good example of a child's first memory: the memory of playing pretend with their father, riding on his back as if he was a horse. Here's another one: the memory of their mother reading a book to them, one full of colorful pictures and simple words. A less traditional one, but just as valid: the memory of seeing their parent for the first time, smiling wide and eager to take them under their wing.

Angus McDonald's first memory was watching his cousin use his bedroom window to run away from home.

Angus was small when it happened. He wasn't sure what exact age he was--that's the thing with first memories, they're too fuzzy to remember details. He was still in a toddler's bed, although he was starting to grow out of it. Even then, his room was full of books and fit for a very fancy boy. Something about the room made him think it used to be one of his cousin's--the oldest? The one that had already moved out. She worked at an apothecary or something equally studious.

He only remembered a few things about this cousin. Barely fifteen. He didn't take well to the fancy McDonald life. He was downright miserable during puberty, especially since Violet insisted he was a girl. This may have been his first memory, but it was also the last time he would ever see this cousin. For the life of him, Angus couldn't remember his name; Violet never mentioned him again. Aunt Violet always insisted she had three children. Really, she had four. But when one ran away, she pretended he didn't exist. For all she cared, he was dead.

His face was cut out of all of their family photos.

In a more cheerful story, this would be the part of the memory where the cousin kissed Angus to sleep, softly telling him that he would come back to rescue him when he was older. Or this would be the part where he would take Angus with them. Or he would attune his stone of Farspeech with another one, giving it to Angus as a secret. But none of this happened. The cousin hushed him back to sleep and crawled out of the window, never to be seen again.

The next week, Violet installed bars on all her windows, claiming it would keep burglars out.

Angus' life didn't change much after this. He was a very smart boy, and Violet cooed over him like he was her own son. For all it mattered, he was. Violet, after all, was his legal guardian. She had raised him from infancy. His cousins were nice enough, too. The oldest was twenty, the youngest was thirteen. Angus didn't interact with them much due to the age gap, but they were still practically siblings. Although, none of them kept in contact after they moved out. Used flimsy excuses to skip out on as many holidays as possible. Didn't call, didn't send letters.

Which, in retrospect, Angus could understand.

Living with Violet was a delayed pain. At the time, in the moment, Angus thought everything was good. Aunt Violet loved him, wasn't that obvious? She treated him exactly like she did her own children. He felt bad sometimes, but that was just a fact of life, wasn't it? Most kids hid things from their parents, right? It wasn't until he left to live with his uncle that he started putting the pieces together.

When Violet asked Angus to give an opinion, she'd shake her head and shift his words until he said something she deemed appropriate. 

When Angus would come back from school with a less than perfect grade, he would suddenly fall ill with indigestion the next day.

When Angus was excited or curious over a new subject, Violet would mention how incredibly boring or low-brow that subject was (unless, of course, it was a subject she wanted him to pursue).

When Angus felt sorrow or loss, Violet's comforting words would often leave him guilty.

When Angus fell angry or stubborn, Violet would issue a verbal attack with ten times the anger that Angus originally started with.

After major confrontations, Angus would find apologetic baked goods in the kitchen. It didn't take long for Angus to learn that eating these was _never_ a good idea.

The word _no_ didn't hold any power in her house. Violet never laid a malicious finger on Angus, but her unwillingness to respect physical boundaries unsettled him deeply. A kiss on the cheek from an aunt should never feel poisonous. The word _stop_ was also ineffective. Again, even if she never did anything sour, the fact that she didn't listen to or value Angus' fears was enough for the boy to stop trusting her entirely.

Aunt Violet lived in a minimansion out next to the woods. Evergreens. Beautiful in the winter. Angus wasn't allowed past the fence. To illustrate this point, the fence was built seven feet high with spikes on the top. Again, Violet insisted this was to keep burglars out. Angus obeyed this rule and played inside. That's where the books were, after all!

When Angus was seven, he slipped through a hole in the back of the fence.

He had just gotten his first Caleb Cleveland novel. Angus had come home from middle school (Violet was proud of him skipping so many grades) and found one of his cousins' shoes in the backyard. It belonged to his youngest cousin, who was still much older than him. He noticed that it was missing a shoelace--he found it caught in some splintered wood in the fence. Following clues just like Caleb Cleveland, Angus managed to find his cousin trapped in a ditch with a serial kidnapper. He called for help, smart enough to know that he wasn't able to take on a villain on his own. Still, it was the first mystery he solved--the militia had been trying to find that kidnapper for _months._

Angus was sent to live with his uncle after that. He lived in Rockport, and knew how to get Angus into the business of being a detective. Violet reluctantly let him leave, but only because the opportunity was too good to pass up.

But now he was back.

Angus managed to secure himself in his room the night he was sent to Aunt Violet's. Day one wasn't so bad. Violet was more happy to have him under her roof than anything else. If Angus didn't know any better, he'd hope the rest of the week would come just as easy; but he hadn't ruffled Violet's feathers yet. He was still acting perfect. An exhausting task. He's a detective, not a mind reader. Too hard to tell what Violet _wants_ to hear.

Instinctively, Angus reached for his stone of Farspeech. He wondered if it would be an annoyance to Taako if he called without a specific reason. _No, bad thought. He's explicitly said he wants to hear from you._

He dialed Taako's stone. Didn't give himself time to second guess himself. After two rings. a chorus of voices and the sound of silverware hitting plates echoed through the stone.

"Angus? Hey, what's--"

"An-gus!"

"Good afternoon, Angus."

"Is that Angus?"

"Oh--hello, everybody!" Angus tapped his shoes together, smiling to himself. All the exhaustion from earlier fell away. "I hope I'm not--am I interrupting anything?"

"It's just dinner, Angles, don't be shy." Taako's voice was the loudest. He must have been holding the stone.

Magnus' voice came out quieter, even though he was yelling. "I can barely hear him! Put the stone in the middle so he can join us!"

"You alright with that, pumpkin?"

"I would like that very much." Angus smiled and placed the stone next to his bed. He wished he was there with the rest of them, but this would have to do.

A little bit of incoherent muttering came from the other end as the stone was moved to the table, and then Lup's voice came through clear. "How's the second trash house? Is she feeding you?"

"Yes, Aunt Lup, that's not a problem...she took my wand, though."

Taako's voice came out hushed and confused. "He's calling you _aunt_ now?"

"Yeah, 'cause I'm his aunt now. Catch up, dumbass." Lup laughed, and after she finished her voice came back out serious. "She took away your wand?

Angus groaned. "No magic in the house."

"Bitch better give it back when you leave," Taako said, in faux-indifference. "Otherwise I'm suing her for theft."

"You can _do_ that?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah, but don't tell Merle or else your shoes are in danger." The whole table laughed. Angus quickly scrolled the volume down. If he had his wand, he would have been able to cast Silence on the door, and then volume wouldn't even be a problem.

Angus didn't remember who said what next, because seconds later Aunt Violet was in his room. She glared at the stone, sounds of laughter and ribbing from the other end. She didn't even have to ask if it was Taako, because she knew.

"Bad influence," Violet said as she crushed the stone under her foot. The voices of Angus' family quietly echoed off the remnants of the stone, fading out until silence took them over. Violet kissed Angus on the top of his head _(he didn't want her to),_ muttered something about bedtime, and left the room.

And then Angus was alone.

It had been years since Angus felt this specific melting pot of emotions. It was a brew that could only be replicated at Aunt Violet's. The feeling that one has done something horribly wrong simply by existing: the fear of expressing an opinion as simple as a drink preference: the exhaustion of pretending to be a person that fits into a specific plan that isn't your own: and now, a new one was added into the mix. Angus reached for the recording stone, still strapped around his neck. He could speak into the stone, and it would be used as evidence in whatever trial he would be put in after the next two weeks were over, but nobody could speak to him through it. Anything he could say now would just be shouting into the void. Mr. McElroy wouldn't even listen to the recording until he had to write his report. Angus sat by himself in his room, his broken stone of Farspeech still on the floor. No matter how hard he listened, the stone refused to give off any more sound.

And now Angus is alone.

* * *

"It's a hundred years worth of junk, it'll take a while to haul it all out," Merle said, laughter stumbling through his last words.

"True, but I still think you're stalling." Davenport smiled, eyes crinkling in delight. "The ship can't retire if you won't pull your own weight."

Over the past week, various members of the old Starblaster crew had been in and out of the ship. Everyone was starting to move on, and clearing out old mementos from their hundred year journey was just as important as finding a place to stay. Lucretia wanted to hide the ship somewhere in case of an emergency, but before she could do anything it needed to be emptied. Merle was taking a break, citing imaginary "back problems" as reasons why he couldn't lift any more of the shit out of his room. Besides, most of his belongings were plants, and those wilted early in the ten year gap. Really, Merle was cleaning more than he was moving.

Davenport was still happy to catch up, no matter how obviously Merle was slacking.

He wasn't happy to be glared at from every angle whenever the twins passed by.

Frankly, he was surprised Lup didn't knock some sense into her brother. Even Barry joined in with an uncomfortable expression. If the three were going to be so stubborn, couldn't they have moved their things out while Davenport was away? This was just childish. Lup was only angry because Taako was angry, and Barry only joined in because Lup did. There wasn't any need for this ridiculous display of false betrayal--Davenport knew he was doing what was best. Taako would just have to get over it.

Merle wasn't blind--and he wasn't stupid, either--but he also wasn't the type to allow this kind of tension to stay in the air. He got up from his seat, smiling and waving at Taako. "Hey, fancy seeing you here, stranger!"

"Merle." He rested a hand on his hip, his eyes turning from angry to amused. "You really have the worst fucking timing in the universe, don't you? How're your kids?"

"Dunno, I dropped them off with Magnus while I finished up here." Merle chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, they're good. Loving Goldcliff. Surprised you asked."

For half a second, his eyes shifted over to Davenport. "Guess that kind of shit's just been on my mind lately."

Lup groaned, draping herself over her brother in mock annoyance. "Ughhhh, you've gone so insufferably soft!"

Taako pushed her away, snort-laughing. "I'm not the one that called Angus and told him to call me his _aunt,_ like, let's fucking talk about _that!"_  

"Yeah, 'cause I'm his aunt now, that's just facts." Lup pushed back. "Better than the ones he's got, yeah?"

"How is that going, anyway?" Merle asked.

The twins froze in place like statues. Taako refused to make eye contact with anybody. Lup watched him sympathetically. 

Merle frowned. "I--did I say something wrong?" 

Taako dropped his shoulders. "Angus is...I'm not sure. Something must have happened to his stone. He's not calling, and when I try to reach him it's disconnected--"

"I'd bet infinite money that Violet took it away." Lup dug her heel into the ground. 

"Or broke it," Taako said, "In which case, we're  _fucked,_ because if something happens at Violet's like it did at Lauren's we can't get him out."

"Shit, she really doesn't want you to talk to him," Merle said, crossing his arms.

Davenport coughed. "If I were his aunt, I wouldn't want him speaking to you either."

All eyes snapped to Davenport. Taako was about to pop all over again.

" _Captain,"_ Barry said, his voice defeated and exhausted.

"No, come on. Please, everyone, be honest? Why are you all playing along with this?"

Lup walked over to the captain, as sympathetic as possible. "Captain--listen. We've been through a lot together. You've been through so much these past ten years. I understand your train of thought here. But it's wrong." Her sympathy melted away, turning quickly to wrath. "And before you fight me on it, I want you to realize this: No matter how much I love and respect you, I will ditch all of that shit to protect my brother. His heart got _broken_ while I was gone, and he doesn't need your fucking opinion itching at the back of his mind while he's trying to heal it."

Davenport let out a heaving sigh. "He's not serious."

"You think you know him better than I do? That's cute." Lup leaned over, towering over the gnome's head. An angry Taako was a detached Taako; when Lup was angry, the whole world knew it. "I've been waiting for two hundred _fucking_ years for Taako to open up and start healing from the shitty hand we were dealt. He's as serious about his custody claim as I am about blasting your ass off this ship if you don't  _listen to him."_

The captain stepped backwards, away from the pure malice radiating from her. "But--Lup, listen to _me_ \--I understand that. That's reasonable. This is still a serious situation Taako is putting himself in. He doesn't get a pass because of some bad things that happened to him, you know that. Taking care of a child isn't something you do to _heal,_ he has to be in a stable state of mind before taking that on."

Lup blinked. "That's--"

"Hold up." Taako stood behind Lup, unimpressed eyes laid on Davenport. "I got it, makes perfect sense."

" _Finally,"_ Davenport said, sighing, "So you're going to hold off?"

"Oh, no. No, ch'boy can't back out now." Taako sat down so he was vaguely at Davenport's eye level. "Angus doesn't have a good option. I'm just the less shitty option."

"But--"

"Listen." He leaned forward in his seat, still unimpressed and calm. "I don't know if you just don't have experience with kids, or if you don't know what a warning sign is...but you're _fucking dense_ , Captain. Guess they didn't teach the basics of child abuse in whatever fancy ship school you were brought up in."

"What are you talking about?" 

"You're making me spell it out. Lovely." Taako let out a low breath, clicking his tongue. "Angus doesn't have suitable family to live with. His grandfather is dead, his uncle is missing, his parents are nonexistent, his biological aunt is emotionally manipulative, and his aunt by marriage is an alcoholic."

Davenport didn't say anything, the wheels turning in his head, so Taako took that as an invitation to keep going. 

"Lup and I kept pretty tight lips when anything resembling a childhood came up in conversation, but you know the basics. I'm not about to give you my life story, that's stupid and completely against this casual wizard-captain relationship we've got going on." He pointed to himself. "Although, here's a yes or no question, and I'd prefer if you'd keep the answer to one word: Do you want Angus to turn out like Taako?"

"No," Davenport said, "Taako, you're--"

"One word, compadre, that's what I said," Taako flicked his wrist, waving the rest of Davenport's sentence away. "For the record, I wholeheartedly agree with you. So, listen, here's the secret. The deal. Everything you need to know: If someone doesn't take Angus out of this situation, he's fucked. Since nobody else wants to step up and claim him, it's my job."

Taako stood up, still ranting on. "You're worried about stability? If I'm _serious?_   If I'm in the right mindset? Sure, I'm in the right mindset--I'm determined to get this to work. It won't be perfect, and it won't be traditional, but I've got a hell of a plan of how to raise this kid." Taako gestured to his sister. "Holy shit, I'm not even doing it by myself! Isn't that a novelty. Taako, asking for help on something? Somebody call the hospital, 'cause he must be delirious."

Davenport tried to interject, but Taako cut him off. Monologue time. Nobody interrupts Taako. "And, fine, sure, _fuck,_ I get it? Your concerns are justified. I'm not--I'm not primo dad material, that's obvious. But I've been in the same position as Angus and I've got a pretty good fucking clue on how to do better. I don't know what the hell I have to say to get the idea firmly planted in your compact gnomish skull, but I'm _serious_ about this." His gaze on Davenport turned from distant anger to solid stone. "But even if you started believing me, right this second? Like, if some godly power came down and kissed you in the eyes so you'd see my reasoning more clearly, that wouldn't matter. I don't--I don't even _give a shit_   anymore. You're out."

"Taako--"

"And, and, and--I don't mean that in a _'I'm going to smite you with a lightning bolt'_   way. Again, I _get_ it, and I _get_ whatever you're trying to do here? But I'm just done acknowledging it." He walked away, towards Barry and Merle. "You're still invited to Candlenights and whatever, you're still a close friend, nothing can take that away. I'll stay civil."

"But you're not in the family," he added, his back to the captain. 

"Whether or not that's actually some kind of punishment? If it's a big revelation for you? I couldn't care less. It's just a statement. No frills. No magic. It's a fact, it's plain, it's simple." He turned his face back to Davenport, face contorted in some wicked smile. He shrugged. "Those don't come by every day with Taako, so call yourself lucky. Maybe pawn it off for a few gold, 'cause I'm basically a celebrity now."

Unceremoniously, as if Taako didn't just banish someone from his family, he made his way to his old room. "Hey, Barold, you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me get all these books out?"

Barry looked sadly to Davenport, mouthed an apology, and followed Taako out of the room.

"Well," Merle said, moving towards his room, "Guess I should get back to emptying my place out."

Lup stood where she was, back turned to Davenport. 

"Captain," Lup said, her voice hollow, "Sorry, but you know I agree with him, right?"

"You always do," Davenport answered.

She laughed once, a pity laugh, and went to follow Barry and Taako. 

And then Davenport was alone.

He hadn't been in a long time. He'd been with six of the smartest people he'd ever met for one hundred years, and then he was taken care of by Lucretia for ten years. Before that, he lived on the IPRE campus. Before that, he was at flight school. Before  _that,_ he was from a big family. So many siblings, and aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews, and all of them were sweet and loving. His parents loved him, too, and supported him as best they could. When he met the team that would accompany him on the Starblaster, he didn't think they would become his family, but they did. He never had children of his own, but after a few years he realized he was one of the father figures on the ship. Not a role he wanted, but one that happened because of his age and his status. He still took it. He needed to.  _Isn't that what Taako is doing?_   Davenport sat down. He stayed there, silent until the rest of the crew left. 

And now Davenport is alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a while to write.......hopefully the next one doesn't take as long!  
> Again, all of your support means so much to me! Thank you to everyone for reading!!  
> Next time, Angus is in a sorry state of affairs...


	15. At Violet's (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus learns he's not as alone as he thought.

Taako's journal became an amazing resource.

Once Angus decoded the pages, he was shocked to find that it was a diary. It detailed all of the intricacies of Taako and Lup's upbringing, which was a lot worse than Angus could have imagined. If his situation was a high school production of Fantasy Shakespeare, then the twins' childhood was a sold out performance at the Fantasy Globe. There were definitely parallels between the two situations, though. Angus was close to the age where Taako and Lup ran away from all their family. Hopefully he wouldn't have to copy that. Hopefully his story would end soon so he could just _get on with his life._

It was perfectly evident that Taako had put some kind of charm on the journal before handing it off.

Not that Angus _knew_ what type of charm had been fixed to it. He didn't have the means to figure it out on his own, either; even if a wand wasn't strictly necessary to perform magic, he wasn't experienced enough to cast more than a cantrip without one. After two days without his stone of Farspeech, the enchantment Taako had cast on the journal showed itself. The eighty-fifth page--a blank page. Or it was, previously. Today, a single sentence, uncoded, had been written at the top, written in barely-legible, but familiar, handwriting.

_You good, Angus?_

Angus brushed his fingers over the writing. No ink residue. As he watched the book, more words appeared, as if a ghost were writing them.

_I figured somethin' happened to your stone. Am I on the right track?_

He grabbed for a pen, chewing on it lightly as he thought about what to write. Next to Taako's first sentence, he kept it simple. _Sir?_

After a moment, Angus added, _Yes, she stepped on it. Sorry if it worried you._

 _no trouble,_ the book wrote, _what a bitch, though. What, you're not allowed to have friends? fucked up, man._

Angus laughed. _Tell me about it. I'm also not allowed to pick where I'm attending university. She wants me to go to Fantasy Harvard._

Some scrawled writing appeared, but it was crossed out and replaced with, _do they teach magic at fantasy harvard?_

_She doesn't want me near magic, sir._

_okay but like. why?_

_Probably because she's jealous?_

_hmmmmmmmm, or maybe she doesn't like her perfect boy in control of something?_

_That's more likely._ Angus tapped the desk, watching the door. It would be bad if Violet caught him doing this. _Got any ideas on how to magically lock a door without a wand?_

Taako tried writing a response, but the page was already full. He hastily wrote _one sec_ in the margins before the page turned blank again. The page was filling itself up fast with details on how to cast a door ward, a simple enough charm that could be cast without a focus. Angus liked this ward, because it made people out the door simply not _want_ to come inside, and Violet wouldn't be able to find out he used magic to lock it.

_Thank you, sir! You can erase the page again, I already cast it._

_didn't take you too long. Smart boy._ The page erased itself, and another sentence popped up at the top. _how're you doing?_

Angus thought for a few minutes before answering. _The best I can say is that I'm not starving._

_oof. that bad?_

_I said something about you to egg her on and she told me I was betraying the family._

_not your family if they only love you conditionally, pumpkin_

_I know._

Taako started a few sentences again, but didn't get past writing two letters at a time. Eventually, he settled on, _Lup and Barry say hi. they miss you so much_

 _Tell them I said hello, too. I'll be glad to meet Aunt Lup in her real body._ Angus hesitated, holding his pen over the period and watched as it blot the page. _What about Mister Kravitz?_

 _off at work._ A pause. _you're really not subtle at all, are you?_

_He's very nice._

_yeah, but who's your guy?_

_You are, sir._

_yeeeeeeah, don't forget it!!!_

Taako's journal was an _incredible_ resource.

It was nice to keep in touch with him like this. Angus didn't feel as lonely. He taught him how to cast more spells without a focus--the spells were questionable and not as controlled, but it was _magic,_ and it came as a great comfort. Some nights, different handwriting would appear. Magnus' was big and blocky. Lup's was as illegible as her brother's. Barry's was clean, but _very_ tiny. Kravitz wrote in cursive. At some point, somehow, Mavis got a hold of it, big and bubbling letters. Angus figured Mookie didn't know how to write, judging by his handwriting. Everyone who wrote to him was, just, _so_ nice to talk to. He had a sense of community. Even if he wasn't related to any of them in the slightest, they felt more like his family than anyone else.

Violet _who?_

One night, a hurried paragraph in Kravitz' handwriting appeared in the journal. It asked if he could try something, if it would be okay if he--

Angus read the entire thing and immediately wrote _yes_ as a response. Quickly, he charmed the door so Violet wouldn't want to come in. After a minute or so, a hesitant rift in opened up in the room. Kravitz poked his head through, and when he was confronted with Angus shushing him, cast a silence spell over the room.

"How did you know where the house was, sir?"

"I know what your soul looks like. You weren't difficult to find." Kravitz stepped through the rift into Angus' room, and the tear closed behind him. "That sounds--strange, doesn't it? I--just wanted to check on you."

"I'm alright! It helps very much that I can talk to everyone through the book." Angus beamed. "But thank you for checking. Does Mister Taako know--"

"No, ah, I just--this was kind of an impulse? That's--well. Saying it like that sounds weirdly possessive, doesn't it?" He let out a nervous laugh, and coughed it away. "Taako is off with Lup. I can bring him back later, if that would be of any comfort."

"This is a little more difficult to hide than a journal, so maybe it's not the best idea." Angus sat himself down on his bed, his feet dangling over the edge. "Aunt Violet has been watching me pretty closely, so even with the ward on the door she might call me downstairs..."

"She's not hurting you, is she?"

"Not with her hands, sir." The sentence seemed to terrify Kravitz, so Angus corrected himself immediately, holding out his hands in defense. "Oh, don't--please don't worry so much. I lived with her for a very long time when I was younger, I know what she says is wrong."

Still, Kravitz frowned. "I promise the next week won't be as stressful."

"I'm very excited for it! Hopefully it won't be the last week I'll ever stay over." He kicked his feet, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. "Although, I'll be going to university soon enough--I might not spend a lot of time at home for a while."

Kravitz had to keep himself from laughing. "I knew you were advanced, Angus, but--university?"

Angus pouted. "Is it that hard to believe?"

"You're eleven years old, you'll have to pardon my disbelief."

"I guess it's--I know I'm just a little boy, so I guess that's understandable." He sighed, kicking at the ground.

"Are you going to study anything specific?" Kravitz asked, desperate to pick the conversation back up.

"Divination comes the easiest to me. It could come in handy if I find myself doing detective work again." Angus hummed, thinking for a minute. "Although, as far as practicality goes, I might go into general studies because I was thinking of going into education."

"You have time to figure it out."

"Because I'm a little boy, you mean?" He asked, sarcastic and grinning. "Did you ever go to school?"

"To university? No, I died before I had the chance." Kravitz tapped his scythe to the ground.

"Oh." Angus frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not a tragedy, Angus. I'm here right now, aren't I?" He smiled. "If I hadn't died when I did, a different bounty hunter would have come for Taako and his friends. I don't know if they would have been as lenient. So we wouldn't be standing here if I had lived my full life."

"Sure, that tracks." A thought came into Angus' mind, and he looked up at Kravitz teasingly as he asked, "So not every reaper breaks the laws of nature over a crush?" This left Kravitz a bumbling mess for a good chunk of the conversation. So obvious even a kid called him out on it.

The two spoke for a solid half hour. The company brought a little bit of peace to Angus. The journal was fine, but speaking face-to-face with someone was definitely more welcome. As Angus was telling Kravitz about the newest Caleb Cleveland novel, shuffling footsteps downstairs suggested that Violet was looking for him.

"It's almost dinner time--I think I should go downstairs before Aunt Violet figures out about the magic in here."

Kravitz nodded, reaching for his scythe. "You'll write in the journal if she puts you in danger?"

"Of course, sir!" Angus jumped off his bed onto the floor, running up to Kravitz before he tore a rift. "Wait, um, before you leave--"

"Yes?"

"Um." He stopped, and shook his head so fast his glasses almost flew off. "Nevermind, it's strange."

"Don't be shy, Angus. What is it?"

He shuffled his feet on the ground, hands behind his back. "May I hug you goodbye?"

"Oh. Yes, that's--hold on, let me--" Kravitz fumbled with his scythe, and leaned it against Angus' bed.

It was awkward, because Kravitz had to lean down a fair amount before the two were even close to eye level. Angus held on like this was the first and last hug he'd ever gotten in his life, and Kravitz--he really didn't have much experience with children, did he? Angus could tell. It was sweet.

"If you feel it's safe at any point, I can bring Taako over."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." Angus beamed, letting go. "Thank you."

Kravitz picked up his scythe and tore a rift in the air, smiling as he stepped through. "Stay safe, Angus."

Angus waved him goodbye. "Bye! I love you!"

"I--bu--we--" He coughed, taken off guard. Kravitz' voice broke like a teenager as he tried to squeeze a competent sentence out. "Yes, well. S-same? The same. Me too, I mean, I--I love you too, Angus. See you next week."

He waited until the rift closed itself up. Angus swat at the air where the rift just was, that feeling of loneliness creeping back up. He pushed that down, dispelled the wards and charms he and Kravitz had placed into the room, and went downstairs to confront someone that had claimed to be his aunt.

* * *

Here were the clues Angus gathered during the second half of his week at Violet's:

Mr. McElroy came up for his mid-week check, and Angus was sent to his room. Violet didn't want him to listen to the adults talk. Bullshit. Of _course_ he was going to eavesdrop, was Violet stupid? Part of him wanted to stay and get Violet to say more nasty things into the recording gem. But a larger part of him, the part of him that cared about self preservation and his health, wanted Mr. McElroy to whisk him away from the house like he did with Lauren. Either way, he needed to know what was going on. Most of the spells he could use for eavesdropping were higher level. By the time he rigged something up, though, their meeting was over. Apparently Violet didn't do anything too horrible, because Mr. McElroy let Angus stay over.

Her balanced checkbook. Angus knew this side of his family was well-off. He had always been fancy, his grandfather had a very expensive silverware set, but something about seeing the numbers out in plain sight really hammered it home. Thousands of gold pieces made out to her lawyers. Even higher amounts to an anonymous person. Who was she paying off? It must have had something to do with the trial.

A stack of papers. Mr. McElroy had signed a few. Angus didn't have time to read them in detail, but they were official, from the Goldcliff courthouse. He wondered if Taako had signed anything recently--when he asked, Taako swore he had only signed a few things at the beginning of the trial. Nothing since Mr. McElroy came on board. Maybe it had to do with the mid-week check, because he didn't notice the stack of papers before.

The remnants of Angus' stone of Farspeech. Of course she didn't let him keep it. She could pretend that he had "lost it" or "dropped it" easier if there wasn't evidence.

Emetic poison. Angus thanked every god and goddess he knew of for the detect poison spell Taako had sent over in the book. Made the whole week easier.

A pretty green gem that looked a lot like the one Mr. McElroy gave to Angus.

His deduction made his stomach twist.

Because it always happened in his Caleb Cleveland novels, he wanted to address Violet directly. Have his own little parlor scene. Make her afraid. Have it all be in the gem so that his speech could be used as evidence. On his last morning in her care, Angus asked to speak to Violet alone for a few minutes. Told her what he figured out. Said he had been speaking to Taako all week. Showed that he didn't need a wand to do magic--acted smug when he showed he could lock her out of his room with a spell. Not necessary to his cool parlor scene, but he wanted to see the look on her face.

This was a mistake.

He showed his hand too early. He had been reckless.

And he paid for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm about.........60% done with this fic? A lot still has to happen, but we're past the halfway point. A lot of things are about to happen very quickly, it's going to pick up, so hold on tight!  
> A LOT of you said last chapter was relateable, and.......that makes me want to dropkick ALL your parents, tbh. I hope everyone is in a better place, or that they'll get there soon. Multiple people told me that they showed or referenced this fic to their therapist, and....wow! I'm glad this fic helped in some way. I'm more glad that you're seeing therapists.  
> Next time, Angus gets the HELL out of Violet's and Taako takes the reigns. He's got some fixing to do.


	16. At Taako's (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus doesn't talk about what happened at Violet's. Then, he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: past the break line, Angus and Taako talk about what the FUCK happened at the end of last chapter. this is the worst thing that happens in the fic. Again, it's not explicit, but it's definitely unpleasant (like, enough to the point where I felt distressed writing it). specifically, if you're troubled by emotional manipulation and children getting minor physical injuries, stop after the line. I can't stress this enough. There will be references to this later in the fic, but if you can't read this chapter you'll still be able to understand what's going on in context. tread carefully!

"Are you sure I can--"

"You're going to be _fine_ , Taako."

Lup, Taako, Barry, and Kravitz stood by the door to the apartment. Angus, Magnus, and Mr. McElroy would be there any minute. Taako would have a chat with Mr. McElroy, sign a few things, and then he'd be on his way. Wouldn't see him again until three days later. Then they'd have Angus for the rest of the week, and he'd go back to Magnus' for the second half of the trial, and (hopefully) Angus would stay indefinitely. Until he was an adult or whatever.

They hadn't heard from Angus that morning. Taako checked the journal thirty, forty times before Barry shut it closed and hid it. For his own sake. Lup assured him that Angus was _probably_ fine, that he wasn't answering because Violet was controlling how long it took for him to eat breakfast or something equally dumb. A quiet knock fell on the door to their apartment, and all four of them snapped their heads in the direction of the door, not waiting even a second before opening it.

Angus practically threw himself through the door, bouncing on his heels all through his greetings. His eyes lit up as he addressed everyone-- _sir, sir, aunt, sir--_ like he hadn't just been at back-to-back nightmare houses for two weeks. Taako and Lup shared a suspicious glance, but they wouldn't bring anything up. Not out in the open. Mr. McElroy watched as Angus was hugged and fawned over by everyone in the room, and was apologetic when he had to tear Taako away to get official business done. Lup watched as the two left the room, and pulled Angus to a quiet corner in the room.

"Hey," she said, "You okay, kid?"

"Yes! Of course!" Angus answered a little too cheerfully. "But thank you for your concern!"

Lup frowned. She didn't want to push him too hard, given the hell he had just came out of, but there was a better chance of him healing if they dealt with this early. "It's just, you didn't write in the journal at all this morning."

Angus answered quickly. "I was busy packing up my things to come here!"

"Alright," Lup said, although she didn't look all that convinced, "What'dya want for dinner?"

Magnus stayed, but Mr. McElroy left before dinner. He didn't want to interfere. Which, honestly, was preferable. The quicker they could get Angus alone, the quicker they could talk about his time away and try to mend any bad things that happened. The twins made tacos, because Angus (and everyone else, for that matter) was curious about the dish that saved the universe. Lup was more than willing to learn the recipe. Taako double-checked every ingredient because even though it wasn't his fault _it happened again, Angus could have gotten hurt, c'mon, Lup, I'm just gonna measure it one more time._

Barry's eyes met the twins' as they made the shells from scratch. He nodded and found Angus, who was absentmindedly looking out the window. All of Goldcliff was stretched out beneath them, and while Barry felt a little sick approaching the windows, he sidled up next to Angus to speak to him. "High up, isn't it?"

"It's exactly the kind of place I would expect Mister Taako to rent out," Angus answered, giggling. "Not as high up as the moon though, so I'm alright." He pushed up his glasses.

Barry took off his glasses. He needed to check something. "Want to switch? We can see which one of us is worse," he said, holding them out to Angus.

Angus laughed again, handing his glasses off and putting Barry's on. He looked out to the Goldcliff skyline. "I think mine are thicker than yours."

Barry held up Angus' glasses to his face, less concerned with the boy's prescription and more concerned with the smudged water spots on the surface. The two switched and put their glasses back on. Barry didn't have much else to say to the kid, but--he'd have to tell Taako about the spots on the boy's glasses.

Dinner went by as normal. It ended up being confusing--someone would talk about the tacos, and then Taako would think they were talking about him--it really was a mess to have a food named after you. _Not named **after** you, sir, the plane of thought named them before you existed!_  Magnus fit an entire taco in his mouth, and turned to Angus. The shell contorted Magnus' mouth in the worst way, sending Angus in a fit of laughter.

"Sir, I think that's--doesn't that _hurt?"_

Magnus bit down on the whole thing, chewing as he spoke. "Nuffin' hurfs the Hamm'r!"

"I've never heard anybody call you that, ever," he said, covering his mouth.

After a moment, Magnus managed to get the whole thing down. "I call myself the Hammer! Isn't that enough?"

"I'm pretty sure nicknames are supposed to be given to you by other people?"

"Yeah, but then I'd be left with a bad nickname!" Magnus reached for another taco, threatening to eat it in one bite like the last one. "You gotta start something yourself if you want it real bad, you know? Can't just wait for someone else to do it."

Angus paused, anxiety flashing in his eyes for a brief moment before the cute boyish charm came back to the surface. "Yes, sir!" He turned his attention back to his meal, leaving Magnus confused.

The boy offered to help clean up. It wasn't his fault that everyone within earshot forbade him from doing any of the work himself. Something about him having a tough week. Angus tried to stress that he was fine, but Taako all but demanded someone throw him out of the kitchen while they cleaned up. Not so subtly nudged Kravitz to do the job. Angus smiled, walked himself out of the kitchen, an emissary of Death herself following him. He offered to help Angus settle into his room, and the boy took that offer. Angus was put up in the guest room, which didn't have any of the big windows; which, honestly, was kind of a relief. Taako had closed the curtains in his room, stating that being so high up made him barfy. Angus put his little briefcase on the bed, which was enormous for his tiny frame.

"How was your week?" Kravitz asked, concerned.

"Not good, but not as bad as I thought it would be!" His face started hurting from smiling so much. "It was very nice when you visited!"

"I was worried." He still was. "Are you quite sure you're alright?"

"Just happy to be here," Angus said. He went into silence after that, unlatching his briefcase.

Kravitz would have loved to stay and ask more questions, but he felt a tugging on his soul and knew his deity was calling. He left, taking Barry and Lup with him--good training, he thought. Magnus also left shortly after, Taako and Angus waving him goodbye at the door. They sat in relative silence for a half hour or so, with Angus' nose tucked squarely in a book. Not very normal of Taako to break a patch of silence by talking about serious shit, but...

"Soooo," Taako said, pointing at Angus with a twirling finger, "You wanna tell me what's been goin' on? 'Cause this isn't normal Ango behavior."

"I'm not--I don't know what you're talking about?" He smiled as he spoke, his head moving farther into his book. "I'm happy to be here, that's all!"

"Barry said he saw water spots on your glasses," Taako said, frowning. "And Lup said you were being defensive. It's--like, I get it, it's cool if you don't want to talk about it. But, uh, I imagine you had a tough week."

Angus shut his book, still smiling. "Well, um. I don't know what to tell you! It was normal Aunt Violet. I'm used to that! Said a few mean things, overscheduled my time--nothing I couldn't handle."

Still smiling.

"You'd tell me if there was, like, an actual problem, right?"

"Of course. Thank you for your concern," he said, his words accompanied by another smile.

Taako looked over to Angus' book. "Reading up on your magic?"

"Mhmm," he answered, opening it back up and digging his face inside.

"What spell?"

"Uh." Angus angled his book so Taako couldn't read it. "C-can't it be a surprise?"

"I...guess?" Taako looked to the floor. "It's, uh. It's getting late, little man, maybe we should get to--"

"Yeah, sure! I'm getting tired anyway." Angus put his book under his arm, already scuttling to the guest room. Taako got up, surprised, and followed after him at a distance.

"You, uh--you need any help getting to sleep?"

"Nope, I'm old enough to put myself to bed!" Angus was already in his room, toothbrush and pajamas taken out of his briefcase. He left the room right as Taako got to the door, passing by him to go to the bathroom. The door shut behind him, almost catching Taako in the nose.

Taako waited outside the door, unsure of what to do. Was he supposed to press Angus on this? Or would it be better if he waited until the kid was comfortable enough to talk? He was obviously hurt, or sad, or _something--_ Taako couldn't tell. He should have been able to tell. He'd been through exactly the same shit. _Why couldn't he connect?_

Faint sounds of brush bristles against teeth came out from behind the door. Bare footsteps on tile floor. Shuffling of fabric against skin. Something like a sigh, or a huff of discomfort. A long, long pause. More shuffling. Movements sounded sluggish and strained, which only served to throw Taako further into the distress zone he had already moved into. He drew his hands down his face, groaning.

"Sir, you're blocking the door."

Angus stood at the door of the bathroom, changed into his pajamas and clothes in hand. It was hard to notice before, when he was all dressed up in his boy suit, but Angus was _tired._ Not just physically tired, but emotionally too. It looked like he had just worked a double shift at a hospital. He didn't have bags under his eyes, but they were strained and exhausted. It wasn't even the kind of exhaustion Taako could write off as "long day," either, because there was a tense edge to Angus that shouldn't have been there.

He moved out of the way. "Sorry."

"Are you alright, sir?" He sounded almost...annoyed?

"Am _I_ alright?" Taako couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. "Yeah, like _I'm_   supposed to tell you what's on my mind when you've been dodging questions all night."

Angus frowned, crossing the doorframe into the hall. "Can we do this later?"

"Do I have to make an appointment?"

He stopped at the bedroom door. His shoulders dropped, worn out and defeated. "I don't want to have a fight with you."

Taako kept a good bit of distance between him and Angus, but took a step to the door. "I don't either, I just--you're obviously upset, you get that, right?"

Angus hung on the doorframe. "I'll be fine in the morning."

"Like any of this can be fixed with leaving you alone, fucking hell," Taako said, so frustrated he was about to explode, "I don't know what this is, but it doesn't look like the type of shit that just _goes away_ in the morning."

"Not the type of thing that just _goes away_ after talking," Angus said, bite in his words.

Taako hesitated long enough for Angus to run into his room. He called out as Angus shut the door, "Can't argue with that..."

He stood at the door for a few minutes before leaving. Taako tried to think of what he would have wanted an adult to say back when he was Angus' age, but...Angus was very different than Taako. They worked differently. Taako wouldn't have listened to an adult at all, wouldn't have wanted one to get up in his business--but Angus trusted adults more. Would he be better at talking to an adult about his problems? Should Taako grab one of Merle's kids to talk to him instead? No matter how good he was at teaching Angus magic, he wasn't a therapist and he wasn't good at talking. He should have known that he would have been _useless_ once shit hit the fan. Taako didn't even know what _kind_ of shit had hit the fan. How serious was this? Was it just emotional exhaustion? Was Angus okay?

Taako left to his room, and struggled to sleep or meditate for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning, Angus woke up to the smell of cinnamon toast. Ignoring the warning signs blaring at the back of his mind _(You let on too much, Taako bakes when he's nervous, you're **worrying** him--), _ he slipped his glasses on and went into the kitchen.

Elves don't need sleep, but it was widely known that some elves (mainly Taako) liked to do it if they felt safe enough. Not only did Taako _not_ sleep the night before, but he also didn't meditate. Still in the same outfit as the night before, with lazy and tired movements and a layer of exhaustion behind his eyes that shouldn't have been there after skipping _one_ night of rest. Angus felt a brief flash of guilt for keeping him up, but a larger feeling of fear came up and smacked the guilt out of his mind. This was fine--at least, compared to what would happen if Angus _told_ Taako what happened.

Angus sat at the table, a weak smile accompanying his greeting. "Good morning, sir."

"If you say so," Taako said as he slid some toast onto a warm plate. He turned to hand it off to Angus, only to hesitate. After a quick poison check thanks to the low-sodium salt shaker, he deemed it safe enough to place in front of the boy.

"Thank you, but I don't think it's possible to poison cinnamon toast," Angus said before taking a bite.

Angus didn't keel over from eating the toast, so Taako relaxed. Still, he frowned. "Didn't think it was possible to poison cookies either, but here we are."

"That wasn't you."

"Not the point. The whole _point_ is that it _wasn't--_ ugh, nevermind, I'm not getting into this at nine in the fucking morning." He grabbed a second plate and sat down across from Angus at the table, shoving a piece of toast in his mouth. "You...ready to talk?"

"No," Angus said, a little too short. He tried to lighten it up by smiling again and speaking in a bad Taako impression. "I'm not getting into this at nine in the morning."

The impersonation did more harm than good, forcing Taako into a suspended period of silence. He chewed on the same bite of toast for what seemed like an eternity before answering. "Alright. Gotcha, that--that's fair. Just so I can put it in my schedule, uh--when? When do you think you can--talk?" Before Angus could answer, Taako stopped him to ramble off an explanation. "And, like, fuck, if it's not to me, I can bring in one of those other chucklefucks in here. Like, I get it if I'm not the _best_ one to vent to, or whatever."

Angus took a while to answer. "Not anytime soon. Maybe not anytime, _period."_

 _"That's_   not terrifying."

"You don't get it, it's--" Angus tapped fingers on his plate, looking past Taako and onto the wall. "Violet has a lot of dirt on you."

Taako laid his chin in his hand, feigning disinterest. "Lots of people do. Doesn't make her special."

"Enough to put you in prison," he blurted out. Taako gestured for him to go on, but Angus shook his head. "If I--I can't tell you or else she'll--"

"You're getting _blackmailed?"_ Taako threw his hands up in the air, and then folded them over his chest. "Fucking--who blackmails a _baby?_ What's she making you hide?"

"Technically, _you're_ the one getting blackmailed." Angus huffed. "I can't tell you. Trust me, it's not anything I can't handle. I'm fine."

"Saying you're _fine_ after telling me you're getting blackmailed on _my_   behalf is probably the _worst_ thing you've ever said to me."

Angus opened his mouth to comment, and then shut it. He dug out the red gem--the one that recorded all his conversations, all the _evidence--_ and got up from his seat. "I'll be right back," he said, leaving to go place it in his room.

When he came back into the room, Taako was at the oven. "You want eggs, Agnes? I feel like this is gonna take a while."

"It might." Angus stood next to him, laying a hand on the counter.

"Scrambled?"

"Sure."

The two stood there, Taako working on the eggs as Angus watched. It was a little calming, watching the technical mastery of such a simple task; cracked eggs in one swing, the motion as fluid as breathing. He still worked slowly, and the whole thing was unfair--how Violet made him afraid of cooking all over again, how he still carried that goddamned salt shaker. The last thing Angus wanted was to rope other people into his problem, but here they were. When Angus spoke up, his voice came out soft and sad.

"Violet's going to win the trial."

"What?"

"She's been working at winning behind the scenes. Paying people off. Getting information on you to put you in a bad light." Angus kept his eyes on the pan, too afraid to look up. "I...tried to confront her about it, and. It didn't. Work out. She said if I told you about it, she'd turn you into the militia, but...that ship's sailed."

Taako sounded calm, but there was an edge to his voice that betrayed his tone. "What do you mean, it didn't work out? What happened?"

Angus held his arm. "I can't--I don't. Um."

He tried to keep to his task, seasoning the eggs with--fuck, could too much pepper poison somebody? No. No, that was impossible. "Are you okay?"

That was a big question, wasn't it? Angus wanted to say he was fine, but... "No."

"Did she touch you?" Get the toughest questions out first, that was Taako's plan. If he started at the worst case scenario, the minor things might not seem as bad, right? Right?

The silence was enough of an answer.

Taako's eyes went wide, his attention off the eggs. "Angus--"

"It was an accident--"

"Don't try to defend her, what the _fuck_ did she do?" Any performance of _calm_   flew right out the window.

Angus wrung his hands, looking at the floor. "It wasn't like--she did it on purpose, it was just--because I provoked her, I think--"

Taako turned off the stovetop, the click of the knob echoing through the kitchen. "Angus McDonald, if you don't tell me what the _fuck_ she did to you in the next four seconds, I'll--I don't know, but you better _believe_ it won't be pretty."

"She--" Angus pulled back the left sleeve of his pajamas, turning his arm to show Taako. Four bruises where fingers had dug into the skin of his upper arm. Some of the skin on his back peeked through, red peppering the surface. Angus pulled his sleeve back farther to show it better--a sloppy bandage job over tiny cuts that looked like they went farther down his back. All told, he wasn't _that_ injured, but knowing where the injuries came from amplified the horror around it. "I tried to break away and fell into a vase. It was an accident--"

"Grabbing someone isn't a fucking accident--" Taako cursed under his breath, checking Angus' arm without touching it. "You never said Violet was a grabber--"

Angus pulled his sleeve back down and shook his head. His eyes were dry, but he was upset in every other way. "She's never done it before, she's--she's never--"

"Okay, no, fuck this," Taako said. He took his apron off and pulled his half-cooked eggs off the stove. "We're going to the militia, this is ridiculous."

"You can't!" Angus hung off of Taako's arm, more frightened by the second. "She's threatened to blackmail you, and Magnus, and everyone else you're involved with--"

"They're going to believe someone who threw a kid into a vase over someone who _literally saved the fucking universe?"_  

"She didn't throw me into the vase, I pulled back and _fell_ into the--"

"Because that's _so different."_ Taako took in a few breaths. "If I don't call the militia, can I at _least_ call McElroy?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

Angus moved away from Taako, hands behind his back. "I'm afraid of what she'd do."

"Yeah, _no shit_ , if _I_   got thrown into a vase--"

"That's not the part I'm afraid of! That was--just, something she did because she had the ability to. It was genuinely an accident, aside from the grabbing part, and she took all the glass out and disinfected it." Angus spoke as if he was talking about a murder case. He distanced himself from the situation, hoping that would make him more calm. "I'm more worried about the blackmailing."

Taako was _not_ distancing himself. He could do the worrying for both of them. "And that's the easiest thing to fix, so let's go tell the militia."

"I don't--I can't--"

"What do you think you'll accomplish by keeping this a secret?" The question took Angus by surprise, and when he didn't answer, Taako kept going. "And--sure, I'm all in the school of not telling people who don't have business in it. You don't have to go out into the street shouting, ' _hey, my bitch of an aunt needs to be jailed!'_   but your life would be a lot easier if you told the people in charge of _deciding_ who gets the adoption papers."

"Sir, it's something I can fix on my own!" The distance Angus put in between himself and his own case shortened. "I've dealt with this sort of thing before, I just need--time, and--"

"You're a _kid,_ Angus!" Taako wasn't yelling, but he got close. "I don't care if you're going to university or if you're smart enough to solve serial murders, you're _eleven!_ Until you pass the big ol' one-eight, you're a child. That's the whole _point_ , the whole _reason_ we have to do this! You're clever, and smart, and I _get_ that, I'm _proud_ of you--I threw my hat into the child-custody ring to help you. I'd be a shitty guardian if I didn't protect you from this."

"I appreciate that, sir, but you're in danger too. Aunt Violet can put you in jail."

"I'd rather get jailed than let you get put up in that nightmare house! Fuck it, if Violet and I both go down, then at least someone else can step up to take care of you." Taako lowered his voice. "But that won't happen if we call up Mr. McElroy and explain all this bullshit. You get that?"

"I think so." Angus shuffled his feet. He stayed quiet, weighing his options. Finding the natural conclusion to every choice he could make. Would it be best if they just rode out the trial? She couldn't have paid off all the jurors--maybe they could get a different judge? Start from scratch? He figured the best way to do this was to contact Mr. McElroy, because then he would have a record of the abuse and they could use it in court. "Do we have to do it right now?"

"No, but soon. You've got evidence on her, but it's got a timer on it." Taako pointed to Angus' arm.

Angus nodded. "Soon is fine. At least--can we wait a few hours?"

"I'll call McElroy at lunch." He looked like he wanted to ask a hundred more questions, but decided against it. "Thanks for--the talk. Sorry if I was wringing it out."

"I understand." Angus ran up to hug Taako, digging his face into his shirt. "Better you than anyone else."

"Are you okay here?" Taako didn't hesitate to hug him back, taking care not to touch Angus' arm or the sore spots on his back. 

"I--I'm afraid it's the last time I'll be able to see you for a while. If I end up at Aunt Violet's, I wouldn't be able to see you again until I was eighteen." Angus let go and stepped backwards. "Usually, I'd feel safe here, but it's. I don't know. Sad?"

Taako nodded. He turned the oven back on and went to finish the eggs. "Anything I can do?"

"You're already doing a lot." Angus walked over to the table, the toast now cold. "Don't--don't tell anyone that doesn't legally need to know?"

"Wasn't planning on it," he said, "Maybe we can ask that the trial not be public. And--I won't tell Lup or Kravitz or anyone else, that's on you." 

"Thank you, sir." Angus smiled, for real this time. "I might not ever tell them."

"Fair."

"Really?"

"That's your right. The only people that need to know are the ones fixing it. If that's how you take control of the situation, more fucking power to you." Taako turned off the oven. "Come get your eggs, Agnes. Already checked; no poison."

Angus smiled again, wider, hopping up to get his second breakfast. 

He couldn't undo what happened, but he could still fix his own future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was VERY HARD for me to write! i'm just as uncomfortable as ya'll are when i write these bad Angus hurt scenes, trust me. and then I realized that it's twice the word count of a normal chapter so whoops.......  
> I swear, I swear, I SWEAR this is the worst of it. going to be getting into "fight off the bad guys" territory starting next chapter. and then back into courthouse stuff???? remember when this was supposed to be a legal drama and then I flew off the rails to angst-town????  
> i wrote a bunch of the epilogue while i was avoiding writing this chapter...............folks, it's a good ending......i promise......i cried a little bit..........  
> thanks for reading, everyone!


	17. At Taako's (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup wrestles Angus and is objectively the best aunt he's ever had.

Lup and Barry hadn't gone through training in paperwork yet. so once they had shoved the souls they captured into the Eternal Stockade, they were free to go home. Except, Kravitz looked like he desperately wanted to skip out on paperwork to join them. Barry caved and tried his best to learn how to file souls on the job so it wouldn't take as long. Lup didn't wait up, already carving a rift into space to the material plane.

The look on her face when she stepped into an empty apartment was nothing short of furious.

It was a few minutes past three. If they had gone out for lunch, they should have been _back_ by now. She knew they couldn't be out doing something fun. Angus didn't seem right. Lup may have learned patience inside her umbrella, but she wasn't using any of it as she paced around. The wait might not have been so horrible if she had busied herself with _something._ Instead, she walked impatient steps around every room, boots clicking against hardwood. Wondered if it would be better if she cut a rift straight to her brother. She could do it, no problem. Lup knew his soul by heart and could find him, easy.

Before she could summon her scythe, Lup heard the door open. Checked the clock: almost four now. Great, they made her wait _an hour._ Distant chattering came from the door and Lup decided she couldn't wait anymore. No longer able to phase through the wall, she stumbled through the apartment until she found Taako and Angus removing their shoes.

"Aunt Lup!" Angus smiled, not as forced as it was the night before but still held a slight edge. He ran up to hug her, and, yes, that was an improvement. "When did you get here?"

"A while back. I skipped out on doing paperwork." A quick glare from Lup told Taako exactly _why_ she skipped out. "What'd you get up to with Taako, huh?"

Angus' shoulders rose, but his expression kept steady. Taako cut in to answer for him. "Had to get 'em a new wand, since _someone_ took the old one." He was about to pat Angus on the back, but moved to tap his shoulder at the last second. "C'mon, show her."

The kid didn't need any more encouragement, pulling a little wand out from his vest. A perfect, slender cylinder, wood so dark it looked black, with both ends painted white. "My old one had a star on it, which made it difficult to conceal, but I can hide this in most of my vest pockets!" It was simple and quiet and undeniably _Angus_ in design, which is exactly what a focus should be. He slid it back into his vest, smiling. "I'll be right back," Angus said as he ran past Lup towards his room.

Lup had the decency to wait until he was out of earshot before asking, "Is he okay?"

"Can't say details. Had to hammer out some legal bullshit. Violet's worse than I thought." Taako looked like he had come back from a marathon, spent and exhausted. Not as miserable as he had been last night. Definitely lacked sleep. "But, I mean, we're fixing it. It'll take _forever_ but Angus is a fucking nerd and he looked better knowing we were doing _something._ Until it's fixed, just--act cool?"

"I don't have to _act_ cool." Lup flipped her hair. "He seems a little better than yesterday."

"Yeah, I know what I'm doing."

She smiled, hands on her hips. "Well, it helps that he's home now."

Taako stood still for a few seconds, mulling over her words. He spoke flatly, as if this was the first time the thought came into his mind. "I...guess that's what this is, huh?"

"You're slow, you know that?"

Angus ran back into the room before Taako could snap back. He almost fell on the hardwood running, but slid his way over to Taako and Lup. Slowing down was the hard part, though, and he would have fallen right on his butt if Taako hadn't braced his arms as he got closer.

"Fucking hell, Angus, take your socks off before you break your neck!"

"Normal people put _rugs_ in their homes, Taako." Lup huffed and flicked at Taako's ear. "You really need to baby-proof this place before Angus moves in for good."

"I might be small, but I'm not an infant," Angus said, a wry smile cast at Lup as he took off his socks.

Lup grabbed Angus by the armpits and lifted him off the ground, the socks dropping to the ground. "C'mere, _baby boy_ \--"

Angus kicked his feet, laughing as he tried to get out of her grasp. "I'm not a baby, Aunt Lup, you can't just pick me up!"

"Tough luck!" Lup grinned and held his ankles together to keep him contained. She had him upside-down, the faint sound of Taako _losing his shit_ behind her. "I gotta get into the nephew-grappling business before he gets too big to carry!"

"I'm eleven years old, I'm _already_   too big to carry!" Angus tried to reach up towards her arms, but he was also the kind of kid that could fail gym class, so it didn't work.

"Sure, if you're _weak!"_ Her tongue was out as she was roughhousing with Angus. Both of them giggled and tried to get the upper hand on each other. "Stop squirming or I _will_ cast Levitate on you!" Lup hooked her arm so that she could hold his arm to his side, locking him tight up against her side like a football.

Angus tried to flail out of the hold and let out some sound of...pain? Lup could swear it was a yelp.

Taako stopped laughing and sucked a sharp breath through his teeth, running up closer to the two. "Lup--"

Before she could answer, Lup had a wand pointed to her chin and heard a verbal incantation wash over her. Her feet left the ground against her own will. Angus slipped out of her grasp and jumped the short two feet to the floor. When he turned back to face her, the discomfort was gone and replaced with a shy grin that hid pride. He had used her own threat against her.

Her head knocked against the ceiling and she sent herself into another fit of laughter. "Oh shit, Taako, you didn't tell me you taught _sass_ to your students!"

"I was only taking your suggestion," Angus said, as innocent as possible.

"Yeah, Lup, do you really think I'd take a student if they weren't _already_ a little shit?" Taako was knelt at Angus' side, worry in his eyes until Angus reassured him with a nod. That split second made Lup wonder, though. "Nice levvi, Agnes, can I see you put 'er down?"

Angus nodded and broke the spell. Lup fell down from the ceiling, busting her ass on the ground. She let out a curse as she got back to her feet.

"Not bad for two weeks out of practice." Taako stood back up, feigning indifference as he dusted himself off. "She was supposed to float down slowly, like featherfall, but we can work on that. Still impressive that you got an adult all the way up."

"I'll work on the landing. Thank you, sir!"

Lup shook out her legs, the shock from the fall reeling through her nerves. "Okay, but you gotta pay up, 'cause your boy broke my ass."

Taako shrugged. "Can't be helped, Lup, that's what you get when you piss off a kid that's still learning his spells."

"Sorry, Aunt Lup," Angus said, and--fuck, Lup couldn't be mad at _that_   face.

Before she could answer, Taako was clicking his tongue and wagging a finger at Angus. "Nuh-uh, she practically _asked_   for you to levitate her into the air. Let her deal, no apologizing."

"Having him turn against your own sister? Rude."

"Boy's got to learn to stand up for himself, I don't make the rules."

"Whatever. Good magic, Angus." Lup smiled and shoved her brother out of the way so she could get a clear line of sight to Angus. "Although, you might want to break off from the school of Taako to do your own shit, you thought about going to university?"

Angus nodded, a cute pearly smile forming between his cheeks. "Yes, I was going to apply for Lucas' new magic school after the trial."

"Ew, Lucas." Taako gagged. "Like, follow your bliss, Angus, but don't you have options?"

"Lucas is more likely to bend rules to allow me to attend at my age," Angus answered, "And I think if I got a reference letter from Miss Lucretia, he'd be too scared to turn me away."

"Oh, nevermind, I'm proud again," Taako said, more to himself than to anyone else, "Exploiting nerds, I _like_ that."

Lup spoke over her brother, directly to Angus. "Well, shit, why not start applying now so you can go as soon as this all clears out?"

"That's--not a horrible idea." Angus adjusted his glasses. He mulled over the thought, hand to his chin. After a minute he looked back up at Lup. "Sure, what's the harm?"

"We'll call Lucretia--" Lup made it a point to ignore Taako's death stare. "And _you_ get started on...whatever the hell kind of application the school needs."

"Right. Um. I'll--" Angus backed his way out, towards his room. "I'm going to go check the requirements!" The twins waved him away. As soon as his door clicked closed, Taako turned to Lup with fire in his eyes.

"He could have called Lucretia himself."

"His stone's broken." Lup grabbed Taako's stone out of his pocket and pushed it into his palm, smiling wide to hide the smug look in her eyes. "Now, make sure you ask her _real nice_ , okay? It's for _Angus."_

Taako only answered in a groan, but his thumb was already moving over the stone to call her. _"Fine,_ nobody can say I didn't try."

Lup smiled and took a seat, waiting for him to dial. He huffed, shaking his head as he left the room. No way he was going to ask Lucretia for a favor with his sister in the room. _But,_ Lup thought, _at least it's a start._

* * *

So, _apparently_ , people have trouble sleeping when stressed.

That's messed up, because Angus McDonald was a growing boy that needed sleep. But his brain was too big for his head, and he spent a lot of the night thinking. At least the sheets didn't smell like lavender, which became a dangerous scent in his brain. At least he had eaten more than a carrot for dinner. He reached onto the table next to the bed to poke at a carved duck Magnus slipped into his bag. Angus had a collection of them now, even though he never asked for any. He glanced at his wand, too, and cursed himself for not learning a sleeping spell yet.

Angus rolled on his side and had to keep from yelping out again. Mr. McElroy put medicine on the glass cuts while he was documenting the injury. The cuts still stung when fabric pressed against them too tight, complicating sleep. Part of him wanted to take off his shirt and go back to sleep, but another part of him knew that he wouldn't be able to. He certainly felt better after going to rat Violet out earlier that day. The process of taking her down was still going to be so slow that he could hardly stand waiting. Or sleeping.

New plan: Angus would read a book until he fell back asleep. Bad news: he left his book in the living room.

He slipped his glasses back on and slid out of bed, groggy. He might not have been able to get to sleep, but he was still exhausted. Hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, either. That's one of the worst feelings in the world, the feeling of _needing_ to sleep without the ability to. Angus couldn't stop yawning as he trudged into the living room, his eyes struggling to keep open. Finding the book in the dark would be difficult, until Angus realized that the room wasn't dark. A voice came out from behind him--

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Lup laid on the couch, arm slung over the back in a lazy motion. Alone, no sign of Barry or Taako. She slung a book over the back of the couch too fast for Angus to see what she had been reading.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Well, get over here." She moved her legs off the couch, patting the space next to her. "Might as well hang out here until you get tired again."

Angus wondered if he should keep to his old plan or take the one she offered. Before he could even think, he was sitting down next to her. "Thank you."

"What woke you up?"

"Uh--" Angus considered going back to his room, right then and there. "Couldn't find a good position to sleep in."

Lup frowned, leaning in closer. "Did Taako give you a shitty mattress?"

"No! I, uh--" He looked all around the room, scanning it for a good lie. "I usually sleep on my arm, but it's got a bruise."

"You knock it on a table or something?"

Angus nodded. "Accident."

"Taako used to get into a lot of _accidents_ , too." Lup grinned, laying her chin in her hand. "What a fuckin' motor mouth, right? Got him in a lot of trouble."

"It really was an accident, Aunt Lup." It really wasn't, but she didn't need to know.

"As long as you're taking care of yourself." Lup extended an arm out, waving Angus over to sit with her. "C'mere, at least _pretend_ like you're trying to get back to sleep. I promise, it's easier to go to sleep next to someone."

Angus' back brushed up against the side of the couch as he leaned in, a quick sting of pain rushing in behind. He sat up again, back straight. "Oh, uh--this is the side with the bruise."

"Alright, let's switch." Lup stood up, and Angus scooted over so she could sit back down on the opposite side. Angus was short enough to have his legs straight out on the couch, but still bent them as he laid his head in her lap. Lup ran fingers in his hair in slow passes. Angus almost forgot that this was the same woman that was roughhousing with him hours earlier. Her fingers were cold, a side effect of her new job. He'd have to get used to that; although, this was already worlds better than any comfort his biological aunt ever gave. "I could heal it, if it hurts that much."

Angus turned his head to look up at her. _"You_   know healing magic?"

"Evocation is more than fire. Also, Merle barely heals for _shit_ half the time and the other half of the time he was _dead,_ so, we all kinda had to learn a little. Had a hundred years to figure that out. I'm not _great_ at it, but it's not nothing." She ran the back of her hand over his hairline. "Better to heal it than lose sleep over it, right?"

He turned his head back away. "It's alright, but thank you."

"That's fine."

They fell into a comfortable silence afterwards. Angus slipped in and out of consciousness a few times, but couldn't get into a steady sleep. Never because of Lup; she was the reason he could even _attempt_ to sleep. Angus figured he should break the silence. Casual conversation was more interesting than failed sleep.

"I decoded the journal."

"Oh yeah?" Lup let out a hollow laugh, something only a person removed from such a situation could do. "Sorry, it's fucked up. I think he forgot what he wrote in there."

"Don't apologize, it wasn't in your control."

"You're so goddamn proper, Angus." She went back into silence, but only for a moment. "Listen, I get if you're not ready to talk, but--I mean, Taako and I are pretty practiced at this. Like, you wouldn't get that pity shit with either of us, so...if you want to talk about your _accident.._."

Angus weighed his options. He wasn't _afraid_ to talk about what happened anymore, Mr. McElroy knew about the blackmail, but it was...embarrassing that he messed up so bad. He was a smart boy, wasn't that what everyone said? A smart boy wouldn't have gotten himself thrown into a vase. Except here he was, smart _and_ injured. "Okay, it wasn't just an accident," he said, giving in, "I already talked about it with Taako and Mr. McElroy, so, it's...known."

"That's...good. Can I see?" Lup wasn't demanding, only curious. Worried, even. "Only enough to heal it. I mean, if you've already _told_   the people that need to know, then--there's no point in me _not_ fixing it, right?"

"Yes, um--it's already been documented as evidence." Angus sat up. He lifted the back of his shirt to show her, the extra fabric bunched over his head like a hood.

"Good to hear." Lup leaned forward to look at his back, but didn't touch him. "Shit, that's nasty."

"Glass vase."

"Ah, that's how my cousin got me." She said it so casually, like it didn't bother her. Maybe at some point it did. "Hold still--shouldn't hurt, but there might be a little pressure? I gotta touch it for the spell, is that okay?"

He shouldn't have been surprised to receive the bare minimum of respect and decency, but. "Yes, that's fine."

Angus held the front of his shirt down as Lup cast the spell. The stinging stopped. His cuts closed up on themselves. The bruise was still there, but peppered in yellow and green splotches that signaled healing. The injuries weren't invisible, but they were far enough healed that they wouldn't hurt. Scabs aren't meant to hold forever, but to protect wounds from getting worse. Maybe that's what Lup was doing as she tried to get Angus to sleep.

"Not elegant, again, I _suck_ at this--oof, that might scar a little, sorry." Lup kissed his forehead. "But it shouldn't hurt anymore."

He jumped up to hug her, which was less proper of a _thank you_ that he usually gave. She took it all the same. 

Sleep came pretty easily after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, climbing over the desk screaming at the world: "did ya'll know that a lot of the healing spells are evOCATION spells???"  
> time for this fic to have like, 3 chapters in a row of Angus bonding with his new family. let my boy heal.  
> next time, some of that GOOD lucretia content.


	18. At Taako's (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus and Barry bond over necromancy and denim-based pranks. Taako and Lucretia have A Talk.

Angus woke up with his cheek smushed into denim.

He didn't go to sleep near any denim. He fell asleep on his aunt Lup, he remembered, and it seemed unlikely that she would change her pants and risk waking a sleeping boy. The change startled Angus. He jolted backwards and slid off the couch--but a hand gripped his arm before he could fall all the way down. Without glasses, he could only see blurs of color in their face, but from the context he could deduce it was Barry.

"Oh--good morning, sir!" Still hazy and bleary from sleep, and also hanging halfway off the couch, he still made it a point to be polite. "Where is--"

"Lup went to go to the market with Taako." Barry helped Angus to his feet. He _sounded_ concerned, even if Angus' vision was blurred over too much for him to really see it. "Uh, they told me to watch you, and, after I sat on the couch you kind of just scooted up--"

Embarrassed, Angus balled the end of his pajama shirt in his hnds. "S-sorry, sir, I didn't. Um." 

"You're fine," Barry said, leaning back into the couch and cracking a book open. "Everyone on the Starblaster used me as a pillow at some point."

Angus rubbed his cheek. "The denim isn't very comfortable, I find that hard to believe."

"Sorry, if I knew you were going to sleep on me, I would have adjusted my position. I didn't want to wake you."

"Do you know where my glasses are?"

Barry nodded, and Angus' vision was too horrible to see where he had kept the glasses. "Here."

"Thank you." Angus slid them on and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "Um. I'm--going to the restroom."

"S-sure." Now that Angus could see, he noticed Barry was...nervous? It was the same forced smile and frightened eyes of dozens of adults that were afraid to be left alone with a kid. Did Barry not know how to interact with kids? Or was he worried because someone told him about Angus' injury? Worst case scenario--maybe Barry hated children. Angus hated not knowing the answers to questions, but he didn't have enough clues to deduce Barry's worry, so he decided to not think on it and head to the restroom.

After he had brushed his teeth, Angus took off his shirt and turned around to look at his back in the mirror. The bruised part was still tender, but it didn't hurt unless he pressed down on it. His fingers ran along the cuts on his back, rough scabs filling in the cracked skin. Definitely an improvement. He pulled on a shirt, but didn't bother with one of his little boy vests--he had spent _entirely_ too much time being fancy the week before. Even if he liked the style, it was nice to breathe every once in a while.

Angus wandered back into the living room. Barry, reading his book, didn't seem as worried now. Maybe he was just startled before? He kept calm as Angus walked closer, and didn't mind when Angus popped his head over the back of the couch to watch him. Good. Didn't hate kids, then. Angus decided he must have just startled him earlier.

"What are you reading?"

Barry pressed a finger to his lips in a _shushing_ motion. He held the cover of the book out so Angus could read: a high-level necromancy tome.

Angus scrunched his face up. "You're going to get in trouble reading that."

"Let me worry about that." Barry let out a huff-laugh and shut the book so he could face Angus. "I haven't gotten in trouble before."

"How?" Angus ran around the couch to sit next to him.

"I came up with a charm _years_ ago that would shield my equipment from any extraplanar entities." Barry laid the book in his lap, immediately animated now that he had a captive audience. "I cast the same thing on myself, a few times. Makes it difficult for bounty hunters to find you."

Angus couldn't help but let out a gasp. "You _made_ up a spell?"

"I had a lot of time." Despite his modest answer, Barry's eyes lit up from the attention. "Do you want to learn it?"

"Why would I need to know a spell like that?"

"I dunno. At least three people in your family have the ability to warp directly to your soul." He drummed his fingers on the book. "You might want privacy."

"If you put it that way..." Angus brought a finger to his chin, thinking. He still didn't know Barry very well, and this was as good of a chance as any to remedy that. He took out his wand and wiggled it a little. "Sure! What level is it, and also, what school?"

"Level four necromancy."

"A--a _necromancy_ spell?" Suddenly, Angus remembered Legion, the pile of ghosts made up of souls that had broken the natural order of life and death. "Sir, should you really be teaching me this?"

"You're not raising the dead, it's just a bit of soul manipulation." Barry waved his hand, unfazed by the level of casual necromancy he was asking a literal eleven year old boy to perform. "Nothing you can get thrown in the Stockade for."

"Soul manipulation?"

"Basically, the spell splits your soul signature in multiple pieces within a two mile radius. Peppers your soul in a large area like static, so anyone looking for you would know your _general_ area, but not specifics." Despite the grim topic, Barry was grinning all through his explanation. "If you stood in the middle of a field, you'd be found pretty quick. But in a big city with hundreds of souls inside, it would be near impossible to find you."

Angus frowned. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't do anything to your actual soul, just its signature. It's like a tag that attaches to your soul."

"Is it permanent?"

"You ask all the right questions." He pushed his glasses farther up on his nose. "It wears off after seven days, but you can dismiss it before that. You in?"

"Level four is my highest spell slot..." And, still, Angus was nervous to get involved in necromancy. Barry knew what he was talking about, though, and if he said it wouldn't get him thrown in ghost jail, then he was _probably_ right. "But I'll try it!"

"Alright." 

It took a little over an hour for Angus to get a good grasp of the spell. Barry got antsy when Angus _almost_ grasped a concept, but wasn't able to make the last little bit of connection. He hesitated more than he should have, not wholly sure of how he should address the kid. At least he didn't _hate_ children--just didn't have experience with them. Angus could handle that. He asked questions that didn't necessarily help him learn the spell any better, but Barry looked so happy that he was interested in the work behind the spell.

"I--I think that's it, sir!" Angus had felt _something_ shift when he cast it that time.

"You might be right, it seems--foggier in here. Hold on, let me--" Barry stood up, moving towards the door. "Hide somewhere, let me see if I can find you. I'll count to thirty."

After thirty seconds of waiting in the hallway, Barry stepped back through the door. Still in training as a bounty hunter, he didn't know all of the cooler tricks yet--but he had already memorized the soul signatures of his closest family. Angus included. It was simple enough, and yet, standing in the middle of the living room Barry felt like Angus was _everywhere,_ all at once.

"Yeah, Angus, I don't know where you are." Pride slipped into Barry's voice. This kid was _smart,_ and he caught on so fast. "You can come out now."

No answer.

Uh oh.

"Angus?"

Barry walked down the hall and checked every room. No Angus. He made the rounds a few times, calling out for Angus. The third time he checked the living room, he heard a cough from behind the floor-to-ceiling curtains--the kind found in hotels, hung on the ceiling by rails. A big bunch of the curtains were cast away in the corner. Barry smiled.

"What a shame. I teach the kid _one_ necromancy spell and he _bounces_ on me." Barry walked towards the curtains slowly, his voice slow and teasing. "If I were the world's greatest detective and eleven years old, where would I hide?"

Giggling escaped from behind the curtain.

"Oh, where could he--" Barry tore the curtains to the side, sliding them further down the rail to expose the space behind them. _"BE!"_

But no Angus. The giggling still came from the empty spot.

"Did you project your voice over here with _magic?"_  Barry laughed. He heard a crash from Angus' bedroom and walked inside. The sheets on his bed showed a boy-sized lump. "Fine, I think I know where you _really_ are."

Barry pulled back the sheets, but the only thing underneath were pillows and books.

"Alright, maybe not." Barry threw the sheets back over haphazardly and wandered into the kitchen. "We can't do this forever, Angus!"

Some of the light near the fridge...shifted. A little bit. As if there was a piece of transparent plastic that moved slightly off to the side. Oh, so _that's_ how it was.

"Y'know, Angus, if I don't find you, your dad will find a way to kill me."

"Mister Taako isn't my--" Angus' concentration broke and he appeared out of thin air, squeezed between the fridge and the counter. "Sir, that's dirty!!"

"Doesn't matter, I still _got you!"_  Barry grabbed Angus and lifted him off the ground. Almost too heavy to carry, but Barry could handle it. He laughed and kicked as Barry held him, and laughed even harder when Barry started tickling. "You use too much magic for a game of hide-and-seek. I think casting Invisibility is against the rules."

Angus broke away from the grip and landed both his feet firm on the floor. He dusted off his shoulders. "I do what I need to win, _sir."_

"We call that _cheating_ where I come from." Barry huffed and flattened his hair down. "And you can't go around calling Lup your aunt if you're gonna deny Taako as your dad."

"He hasn't signed anything!" Angus puffed his cheeks out.

"Soon enough, right?"

Angus just looked to the floor.

Barry frowned. "Do you...not want him to?"

"No! That's not it at all!" Angus' hand hovered over his arm. "Um. It's not a big deal. How do I dismiss the spell?"

"Oh. It's simple, here..."

Dismissing spells are always easier to learn than the spells themselves. Once Barry explained it, Angus took the spell down. Barry was worried more than he was before, now, because he had struck a nerve and hurt Angus. Only thing he could do was wait for the twins to get back. He figured it would be best to leave Angus to himself for a while.

But as Barry turned to leave the room, Angus stopped him. "Sir, you're--um, you're a scientist."

"Yeah." Barry almost got whiplash as he turned back around. "Science expert. That was my title. Why?"

"Um." Angus' eyes were glued to the floor. "So that means you're smart?"

"I _have_ been called a nerd." Barry looked over the rim of his glasses. Couldn't see shit, but it made a point. "You're pretty smart yourself, Angus."

A flash of fear passed through the boy's eyes. "I--guess so."

"That's it?" He furrowed his brows. "No bragging?"

"I'm not in the position to brag, sir, I've--" Angus shoved his hands in his pockets. "Done some dumb things."

"In my IPRE interview, I spilled an entire cup of coffee on my crotch before I walked into the room," Barry blurted out, "Instead of explaining the stain, I acted like it wasn't there."

"Nobody questioned the stain?"

"They did. And--" He bit the inside of his cheek, hoping Angus would keep this to himself. "I told them I was born with my ass backwards and I had shat myself."

Angus went on a bit of a face journey, shifting from disbelief to shock to _disgust. "Why?"_

"I meant it as a joke, to lighten the mood, but they thought I was _serious."_ Barry sat himself down on one of the kitchen barstools, more rambling to himself than Angus at this point. "I've got one of those faces, I guess. Eventually I told them it was a joke, but, I panicked in the moment."

"They still hired you after that?" Angus sat down next to Barry.

"Well--I had a pretty good résumé. And, honestly, I think the coffee thing made me stand out against the other applicants? They remembered me." Barry shrugged. "Smart people do dumb things all the time. It doesn't make you any less smart."

"That might be so, but--I don't know if I'm the world's greatest detective anymore."

"You're _eleven._ Brain's still growing. It's bound to goof up a few times."

Angus answered with a disappointed hum.

"You know, since Lup and Taako are still out," Barry said, whispering even though they were the only two people in the apartment, "We could pull a little bit of a goof on them."

"Why would we do that?" Angus asked, but he was smiling and _very_ interested in the idea.

"Just to remind them that they're not the only ones that can do it." He scooted up a little closer, whispering again. "Maybe a little revenge."

"I'm listening, sir."

The twins came back less than ten minutes later--just enough time for Barry and Angus to pull off their little stunt. As they heard Lup and Taako approach the door, they scrambled to sit back on the couch together, each with a book in hand. Lup kicked the door open.

"Hope babynerd is awake, because Lucretia's coming over soon." She looked at Angus, snorted, and walked in as if nothing was wrong. "Nice pants."

"I am!" Angus chirped, but didn't look up from his book. This wouldn't work if he lost his cool. "And thank you!"

Taako followed behind Lup, levitated bags of groceries following behind. "Mornin', Agnes."

"Well--it's not really morning anymore, is it?"

"Doesn't matter." Taako stopped right in front of the couch, eyes on Angus. More specifically, on Angus' outfit. _"What_   is that?"

"This?" Angus held out his book, the most _innocent_ of smiles plastered on his face. "It's a Caleb Cleveland novel, sir!"

"No, Angus, you know _exactly_ what I mean, don't play."

"I'm sure I don't." Angus grinned wider, taking great care not to acknowledge the pair of slacks that Barry transmuted into denim. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You _little--"_ Taako held back a laugh, determined not to give this any positive feedback. "I'm not leaving you alone with Barold anymore. You're not being indoctrinated into his freaky jean cult in _my_ house."

"No, sir, these aren't jeans." To his credit, Angus played up the deadpan _perfectly._ "They're denim slacks. Jlacks."

Taako took in a deep breath. "You're dead to me, Barry."

"I think it's cute," Lup said, ruffling Angus' hair.

_"You've_ already been converted, you don't have a say in this." He walked out of the room, levitated groceries following him. "Barry, this is _your fault,_ you just got stuck putting all this shit away."

Barry shrugged and got off the couch, following Taako. "You'd make me do that anyway."

* * *

Taako wasn't _thrilled_ to have Lucretia over.

It was still too soon. He swore up and down that he'd never forgive her, and even if that wasn't true? It was still too soon. He'd take his _time_ with Lucretia, thank you very much, and if he had his druthers he'd never have to deal with it. The Lup-sized hole in his chest was filled again, sure, but it was still scabbed over, threatening to scar. Having Lucretia over in his space would aggravate the wound, definitely, and having to ask a favor of her? Taako might as well die.

But. Of course, Angus wanted to see her.

So.

Here she was.

As soon as Lucretia walked through the door, Angus had his arms around her. She stumbled, then bent down to match his height and hug him back. She muttered some greetings to the rest of the room, but kept her full attention on Angus. Cute. _Would be cuter if there wasn't a chance she'd take him away and make everyone forget his existence._

"Thank you for coming over, Miss Lucretia!" He pulled back from the hug, bouncing and beaming.

"Hello, Angus." Lucretia smiled, not bothered to correct him on the name. In this space, with two intense eyes staring at her from across the room, she had no right to be called Madame Director. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Angus' expression flickered sour for a moment. "I guess it has. I haven't been keeping track of the time so well!" He tilted his head. "Can you believe it's almost Candlenights again?"

"Well, time flies when you..." _When you use the Bureau to fix all the bullshit that was **your** fault in the first place?_  "When you're busy."

"Then, thank you for making time to come visit!" Angus hugged her again. "I miss the moonbase very much."

"We miss having you." _Having him? He's not yours._

"I could visit if--"

Angus stopped, and turned to look directly at Taako. He looked--was that worry? Fear? _Fuck, is he--afraid of what I'd think of that?_  

Taako waved his hand, trying to be as detached as possible. "Don't let me stop you, that's your call."

He smiled wide and turned back to Lucretia. "Then--I'll visit once this all clears out, if that's alright!"

"You're welcome anytime." Lucretia stood up to look Angus over. "Angus, are you...are you wearing blue jeans?"

"They're jlacks," Barry said, not looking up from his book.

"I...see." She stifled a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen you so casual, Angus."

"It was for a prank. They're actually kind of comfortable."

"You better not be _enjoying_ them," Taako said.

Angus giggled. _"No,_ sir."

Lucretia smiled and produced a sheet of paper from her bag. "Now, what's this letter I'm supposed to be writing for you?"

It wasn't necessarily difficult to get the reference letter written down. Honestly, Lucretia could have mailed Lucas an illustration of her looking stern and disapproving and Angus would still get accepted. Or she could have written, "do it or else," and the message would get across all the same. But Lucretia decided to write an actual letter, balancing praises of Angus with thinly veiled threats to Lucas.

But Angus was good company. He always had been, at the Bureau. Asked the right questions. Bewildered over the cutest things. She didn't enjoy Taako staring at her from the other end of the room, but there wasn't much she could do about that. It felt like an evaluation. It probably was. At least Angus was there to smooth it over.

When Taako's stares became volatile curses under his breath, all it took was a saddened look from Angus to quiet him down. He left the room a couple times. Never for long. He was a constant presence, demanding her attention when she was _supposed_ to be writing. Thankfully, years as a chronicler on the Starblaster taught Lucretia how to drown out Taako distractions.

After the two had settled on a letter that was acceptable, Lucretia rifled through her bag for another paper. "Allow me to write a final draft of this on a heavier parchment, and then I suppose I should be on my way--"

Taako snapped a finger. "You're staying for dinner."

"I--shouldn't." Lucretia spread the paper out flat and took out her good pen.

"That wasn't a question."

Lucretia didn't know if she should be terrified or relieved. Relieved, because he was responding to her _a little._ Terrified, because he still looked like he wanted to magic missile her into the stratosphere. She settled for something in the middle, and nodded. "Thank you."

Lup sprang out of her seat to follow Taako. "Should I come with--"

"Nope, this is a Taako-only task." Taako held the door open to the kitchen and yelled out before shutting it behind him. "Nobody else allowed in."

She shrugged, settling to sit next to Lucretia and Angus. "Well, it's something, isn't it?"

"It is." Lucretia loaded her pen with ink and started writing, as neatly and perfectly as possible. It was the least she could do.

* * *

"I thought I said I was doing this by myself," Taako said, an automatic response to the kitchen door opening.

Lucretia, immediately regretting this, pulled back on the door to leave. "Sorry, I was--"

"Hold it." Taako didn't turn to look at her, still watching the boiling pot. "Didn't know it was you. Thought Lup was comin' in to nag at me."

"So, I should--"

He pointed to one of the barstools. "Sit."

"Alright." Lucretia sat. If she was anxious, she didn't know it; no tapping on the counter, no leg bouncing. She always knew how to hide that. They stayed in silence for what felt like an hour before Lucretia decided to ask a question. "Are you nervous, sending Angus off to school so young?"

"He knows what he's doing." Taako still didn't acknowledge her more than he needed to.

"How is the trial going?"

"Fine."

"And--you're doing well?"

"Peachy."

Most of the questions Lucretia asked were answered in some monosyllabic or disinterested phrase. A few times, she only received hums. After ten or fifteen of these bad answers, Lucretia struck something good. 

"What are you making?"

"See for yourself, I'm not an announcer."

That was the closest she'd get to an invitation. Lucretia slid off the stool. She watched the pots from behind Taako, careful not to get too close. It took a lot of willpower not to burst straight into tears once she saw what was on the stove. 

One thing that was established early on the Starblaster: Lucretia's horrible addiction for undercooked pasta. She loved the crunch. She'd eat pasta raw if they'd let her. It was one of her worst habits, and one she could only indulge in herself--the rest of the crew hated it. But on Lucretia's bad days, Lup and Taako would make spinach fettuccine alfredo. They needed three pots to do it; one for the sauce, one for the pasta, and one for Lucretia's pasta. It was a more complicated setup than they'd like, covering most of the stove in pots, but it was worth it to see her face as she ate her horrible crunchy pasta.

And today, Taako had three pots on the stove.

"Taako, this is--"

He took the smallest pot, which only held enough pasta for one serving, and drained it out in a colander. "This isn't because of the reference letter. That's bullshit. You're in debt to _me."_

"Oh."

"But. This is thanks for hiring Angus. At the Bureau." He shook the colander, focused. "That happened before all the mindfucking, so, it was before you were in debt to me. I'm getting even."

"I--"

"And these--" Taako set down the colander and brought out a pastry box from an upper cabinet. "You're taking them."

Lucretia stared at the box. It felt heavy--stuffed full of some treat. "You've been baking again?"

"Someone told you about that, huh? Whatever. You're easy to practice on because I don't give a shit. If you beef it, it's not my problem." He shoved the box into her hands. "These are thanks for...sending me on the train, I guess."

The box was in her hands, but she didn't hold a grip on them yet. "That was a part of your job."

Taako pushed the box farther in. "Listen, are you taking them or not?"

"I will." Lucretia curled her fingers over the box and smiled. "Thank you."

"You should eat one right now." Taako turned back around to watch the rest of the fettuccine. "So I know it's safe to give the rest of the batch out."

Without a word, she opened the box. Macaroons, just like the ones from Candlenights on the moonbase. Despite all of the baking knowledge he had remembered after being inoculated, this batch seemed rougher. A little misshapen. But as she ate it, all of the doubts went away--the flavor was still there, out in full force. As she ate the first one, she noticed Taako stealing glances, making sure she wasn't about to keel over. Halfway through the second cookie, she realized she had been silent the whole time.

"Wow, Taako--this is--" She stuffed the rest of the cookie in. "Wow."

Even if she couldn't see his face, she could tell there was a hint of a smile there. "Not _hot diggity shit_ worthy, huh."

"I didn't--I didn't want to stir up any...anything from that time." Lucretia closed the box, not wanting to spoil the meal. "But it _is_   a baller cookie."

Taako flipped his hair. "I'm always down for being admired. You owe me that much."

"I--suppose I do." She held a tight grip on the box and looked towards the door. "I'll get out of your hair."

"You better. I need to finish this dinner and I can't do it with you breathing over my neck." As Lucretia approached the door, Taako spoke again. "Wait. One more thing?"

"Of course." She stepped forward, away from the door. 

"If Angus asks, tell him I said somethin' nice to you." He actually  _looked_ at her as he spoke this time, but his expression wasn't one Lucretia could get a hold on. "Lup said I'm supposed to be a good example, or, _something_ \--but that's too much fucking energy."

"You want me to lie to _Angus?"_

"Now that you mention it, yeah. That's kind of a tough thing to ask, isn't it?" Taako snorted. "Kid sees through everything."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. This--"  Lucretia held up the pastry box, and gestured towards the three pots on the stove. "This is already a good example for Angus."

Taako shrugged and went back to work on the food. "If you think that's enough."

"I do. Thank you, Taako."

"Mhmm. And, Lucretia?"

"Yes?"

"If Angus didn't miss you, this wouldn't be happening." His voice went sour, back to the way things were before he needed a favor out of her. "You're lucky I'm doing this much."

Lucretia opened her mouth to argue, but decided it wasn't worth it. "I understand."

She clutched the box of macaroons tight to her chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tHIS CHAPTER TOOK A LONG TIME, HUH???? (twinsweek KILLED me but it was worth it)  
> also, uh, you might notice that now,,,,,,this fic has a set number of chapters,,,,,i FIGURED out when the end will be,,,,  
> there's one more "angus healing with his family" chapter before it's time to go back into legal town...  
> thanks for reading, everyone!!


	19. At Taako's (Part 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus loses a tooth, but gets a new book.

Mr. McElroy's midweek check came and went. Not anything special; he asked to see Angus' back, and asked Taako a series of detailed questions. He didn't give an update on any of his investigations, said that was classified information. But he _did_ wink as he spoke, so, hopefully it was going well. Once Taako ushered Mr. McElroy out of the apartment, Angus went to study for his entrance examination. He needed to know a specific set of spells, most of them _functionally_ useless. But they were difficult to learn and perform, and that was probably the point of the test. Although, if he's trying to get _in_ the school, why would he need to know anything? Kind of a shitty way to run a school. Lucas needed to get his head out of his ass.

If Taako ever ran a school, he'd find a better way of picking students.

Taako _did_ notice Angus' frustration when he failed one spell's incantation four times in a row. Usually the kid was perfect with incantations: perfect pronunciation, perfect intonation, perfect speed. He could read a verbal incantation out of a book and make it seem like he grew up hearing it. Angus swore he only knew how to do it because he had extensive phonics lessons when he was younger, and that he memorized all of the dictionary pronunciation symbols. _What a nerd._

But why couldn't he pronounce it now? Taako listened in real close as Angus tried it a fifth time. Didn't take much perception to figure it out--kid was whistling his s and w sounds. Taako watched Angus' face as he tried it a sixth time, which, sure, it freaked Angus out, but he knew Taako well enough not to be distracted.

And there it was.

Taako only saw a glimpse, but he _definitely_ saw a tooth wiggling as Angus spoke.

He grabbed Angus' chin. Taako raised his eyebrows until Angus opened his mouth, thoroughly confused. Right inside, his lower canine was wavering to the beat of his breath. Barely in there. Could come out with a stiff pluck. Taako laughed. "This thing's hanging by a thread, how long have you been wigglin' it?"

Angus wrestled out of the chin grasp, rubbing his jaw. "It got loose when I ate a _raw carrot_ for dinner. So...two weeks?" He groaned as Taako grabbed his chin again, but let him check the tooth.

"Mmmm, and you've got shark-mouth in here, teeth growin' in places they shouldn't." Taako forced the boy's jaw open, eyeing the rest of his teeth. "Gonna have'ta be Angus McBraceface in a couple years."

"It's not that bad!"

"Look, you've been wigglin' this one for so long that the permanent one grew behind it!" He ran his thumb over the tooth, causing Angus to hop backwards in surprise. Taako called into the other room. "Magnus, get me a tissue, I'm pullin' Angus' tooth out."

"No, it's not ready to be pulled!" Angus moved his head out of Taako's hands and stepped out of the radius of Taako's arms. Magnus ran in with a box of tissues.

Taako plucked a single tissue out of the box. "It can't even stand up straight in your gums."

"Ooh, can we tie one end of a string to the tooth and one end to a door and then--" Magnus clapped his hands so hard he could have produced a shockwave, crushing the tissue box in the process. "WHAM, shut the door?"

"That's not even necessary, look at this thing! It'll fall out with a stiff breath." Taako grabbed Angus by the collar so he could show Magnus, but Angus wormed his way out of his grip.

"Then let it fall out, don't pull it!"

Taako rolled his eyes. "C'mon, this _can't_ be the first time you've lost a tooth. Doesn't hurt."

"It bleeds a lot," Angus said, scrunching his shoulders up to his ears.

"That's what the tissues are for." Taako waved his tissue in the air. "Last chance for you to let Nice Taako pull this."

Angus stuck out his tongue.

He knew better than to just stand there and taunt, though, and ran out of the room before Taako could grab him. Burned a spell slot on invisibility so that Taako couldn't see where he was running. Angus pushed on the bathroom door on his way through the kitchen door so that nobody would know which room he had gone into. Once he saw Magnus poke his head in and leave, he slid into the cabinet under the sink and waited. His invisibility dropped, but he was safely out of sight.

After ten minutes of Taako and Magnus storming around the apartment, Angus heard the chime of a stone of Farspeech. Seconds later, he heard the sound of someone tearing a phonebook in half--no, that was the sound of a scythe cutting through planar space. And it was right next to him--Lup's giddy face shone through the hole.

"Nice hiding spot, kid."

Angus pushed right out of the cabinet and ran into Barry.

"Do you always hide out in the kitchen, Angus?"

He ducked out of Barry's way, but Taako and Magnus blocked the door. Lup crawled out of the cabinet, blocking Angus from running past Barry. All of them smiled. Angus was smiling, too--tooth wiggling with his breath.

Taako snorted. "Hey, twenty gold to whoever can get D'jango's tooth out."

"Aren't I supposed to be the one to get money for losing a tooth?"

"You think your tooth is worth _twenty gold?"_  

"You're right, Taako, it's worth at least _forty gold,"_  Magnus said, elbowing the elf. "Hey, hey, do you think if I put Angus' tooth under _my_ pillow, I'd get the gold?"

"Considering there isn't such a thing as a tooth fairy, no."

 _"Angus!"_  cried the four adults in unison.

Taako covered Magnus' ears. "You can't say that kind of thing in front of Magnus, he's _sensitive."_  

"I've never gotten any money for my teeth, they can't be real."

"That's the most disappointing shit I've ever heard," Lup said.

Magnus swat Taako away from his ears. "Maybe you were just out of the fairy's delivery zone!"

"Well, whatever, doesn't matter--fairy's not coming if the _tooth_ doesn't come out first." Taako glared at Angus. "One last chance for a merciful pull, Ango."

Angus pouted, scanned the room for a way out. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he had his tooth pulled, but he was _in the game now._ Pulling it could wait. He could think his way out of this. Maybe he could cast invisibility again and run off. Or, he could stay in the kitchen invisible--they would expect him to run off, wouldn't they? But that wouldn't work, because Barry and Lup could _see_ souls now. He didn't know any spells that could get him out of this without hurting anyone. Could pull a Merle and Zone of Truth the room, maybe that would make them laugh hard enough to allow him to slip out.

His thoughts were interrupted by another phonebook-tearing sound and Kravitz' voice asking what the _fuck_ was going on.

A distraction.

He ran towards the door, but of _course_ Magnus held him in a firm grip. Taako grabbed Angus' chin and pried his mouth open, so, _yes,_ Angus bit him. He was practically asking for it. Taako squawked, Magnus dropped him, and Angus ran right into Kravitz' hip. Angus smiled warily, and Kravitz pointed to his mouth.

"Oh, Angus, you've got something stuck in your teeth." Kravitz squinted, and then gagged. "Is that--part of Taako's fingernail?"

 _"Gross!"_  Angus picked inside of his mouth, looking for the offending piece of keratin. "Where is it?"

"It's really stuck in there, allow me--" Before Angus realized Kravitz was pulling on his _tooth_ and not _between_ his tooth, it was too late. The swift motion left Kravitz with a tooth in his hand, eyes gleaming with mischief. He handed the bloodied tooth to Angus. "Here. Go wash your mouth out."

Angus' tongue ran over the hole in his bite. He tasted iron. "What about the nail?"

"I made it up." Kravitz smiled, smug. "I'm a very good actor."

Through erratic laughter, Taako led Angus to a chair and handed him tissues as his gums bled. "Hey, Agnes, should--should I start painting the word _gullible_ on every ceiling on this apartment?"

"Very funny, sir." Angus' voice was muffled by the tissue, but he removed it to dish out a little sass. "But maybe I'm the one that should be laughing, because Magnus said my tooth is worth forty gold."

Taako wiped tears out of his eyes, still coming down from a fit of laughter. "You think I'm giving you forty gold for a tooth I had to call _reinforcements_ to pull out?"

"Well, _you_ wouldn't be giving me forty gold, the _tooth fairy_ would." Angus fluttered his eyelashes. "And, _surely_   I'll get a visit this time, since _all of you_   are so insistent that the fairy exists."

"Yeah," Taako said, grinning madly, "I'm _sure_ you'll get _something."_

Angus huffed in triumph and made his way out of the kitchen to go wash his mouth out.

Lup snorted. "Are you really going to put forty gold under his pillow?"

"No, that means I admit defeat." Taako put his hands palms-out in the air, waving them around. "Here's what I'm thinking: loose pudding and a book on dentistry."

"Wouldn't that ruin the book?" Barry asked, worried more about the book than the possibility of Angus drowning in pudding.

"Gives him a chance to practice prestidigitation." Taako grinned. "Get that pudding off by himself."

* * *

The rest of the week at Taako's went by without incident. Angus started the week scared and flighty, but he was back up to his antics by the end of the visit. His curiosity returned full force, asking questions to anyone who had his ear for more than thirty seconds. Angus had errant moments of wit and sass before, but Taako's constant influence brought out a steady stream of sharp comebacks.

The last day at Taako's, Angus bounced out of bed. Taako hadn't explicitly said he was planning on doing anything special, but left enough clues for Angus to figure it out. Mysterious calls in the middle of the night. Lots of mail coming to the door. Shifty looks between him and Lup. No surprise, Angus caught on pretty quick. Couldn't sleep much the night before. Boy was too excited.

"Good morning, sir!" At eight in the morning, Angus ran at mach speed into the kitchen, tripping over his socks. Taako grabbed onto the back of his shirt to stop him from falling flat onto his face. Angus smiled up at him, hanging in his grip like a lion cub. "Is there anything special I need to dress for today?"

Taako snorted and helped the kid back on his own two feet before letting go. "What're you talking about?"

Angus felt confused--but his excitement didn't go away. This must be some kind of goof. "I thought--weren't you planning something for today? I know I haven't done detective work in a while, but, I deduced that you were getting ready for an event."

"No, Taako's got a meeting today," he said, shoving a plate of French toast into the kid's hands.

"Oh." The light in Angus' eyes extinguished like a birthday candle blown out too soon. "Well, I--guess that's fine." He sulked over towards the table, picking up a fork on the way.

"Hold on, where do you think you're going?" Taako asked, nonchalantly, checking his nails. "Haven't even heard what I've got planned for 'ya."

Angus sat down and rolled his eyes. "Sir, it's alright, you don't have to _distract_ me. I'm not a baby. I can just practice my magic today and finish my application."

"Okay, if that's what you _want_ to do." Taako turned back to the stove. "I mean, it's not as fun as reading Caleb Cleveland and the Corrupt Convent, but who the fuck am I to judge?"

"That's not a real Caleb Cleveland title, sir." Angus let out two huffs of laughter, hand on his chest, a little chuffed. "I would know, I've read them all."

"Hmm, so you didn't know about the new release."

The fork fell onto Angus' plate with a _twang._ "There's a _new one?"_   He rushed out of his seat, bouncing and smiling. "I haven't been keeping up with the news, because of the trial, but, I thought the author was on maternity leave!"

"Yeah, comes out in a week." Taako wasn't facing Angus, but the sound of his little boy lungs deflating let him in on his _exact_ reaction. "But you could'a got a copy today if you preordered it."

"Oh." Angus settled down again. He hadn't preordered it; didn't even know a new book existed until thirty seconds ago. So much for _that._   On his way back to his seat, he noticed a folded envelope on the counter. "What's this?"

"Hm? Found it in the mail." Taako hummed. "No idea how it got there."

Now, Angus may have only been living there for a week, but he _knew_ Taako threw his mail in the handmade, unpainted clay bowl that sat by the door. He also knew that Taako never opened mail himself, just waited until Barry or Kravitz opened and dealt with it. Why would this one be sitting on the kitchen counter, open and then folded? Angus took the envelope and read the paper inside.

"Sir, this is--" Angus read the paper three times to confirm, and then broke out in the biggest, goofiest smile an eleven year old boy could manage. "This is a preorder receipt!"

Taako still didn't turn to look at Angus, but his ear twitched, breaking his cover. "Wow, where did that come from? Lucky boy."

Angus ran over to hug Taako. After some mumbling about _I don't know how that receipt even got there, get off my fucking ass,_ Taako broke down and swung an arm around the kid. Close enough to a hug. Angus smiled, thanked him at least four more times, and asked, "Is it alright if I go pick it up today?"

He _tsk_ -ed and shook his head. "Probably not a good idea for you to go alone."

"Oh." Angus deflated again.

"But I think Kravitz has the day off today."

 _"Really?"_   Funny how Angus could bat back and forth from excitement to disappointment without picking a side. "Do you think he would take me?"

"I dunno, you ask him. Not my job. I've got a meeting to go to." Taako snapped the dial on the oven, turning it off. He walked right past Angus, ruffling his hair as he left. "Good luck on your book hunt, Angora."

"Thank you, sir!" Angus waved him good-bye and ran back to his food, his smile now a permanent fixture. "Good luck with the meeting!"

Taako was out of the room for less than a minute before Kravitz walked in with a nervous smile and nervous wave. "Good morning, Angus."

Angus laughed, then shot a smug look up at Kravitz. "Sir, how much of this was a setup?"

"The entire thing." He chuckled. "Do you still want to--"

"Yes!" Angus was buzzing now, talking a mile a minute. "Can we go now? Or--oh, no, wait. Do you need to eat? I can--oh, I need to finish _my_ breakfast too, that's--"

Kravitz stopped him with a cough. "I don't need to eat, Angus, but I enjoy it. Also, the bookstore doesn't open for another hour."

"R-right." Angus sat properly in his chair, picking his fork back up. "Sorry, I got a little too excited there."

"You don't need to apologize for being excited." Kravitz walked over to the oven and took the portion Taako had left for him. He sat across from Angus. "It's good for someone your age to have a passion for reading."

"Do you like reading, sir?"

"I'm sure the types of novels I enjoy would bore you at your age."

Angus squinted. "You're a fan of kissing books, Mister Kravitz?"

"Is--is that what you call them?" Kravitz held back a laugh, completely enamored with both the ridiculousness of the phrase and Angus' suspicion of it. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Immediately disinterested, Angus rolled his eyes. "I can't say I understand why you are. Are you so bad at kissing that you need instructions on how to do it?"

Kravitz nearly choked on his toast. "N--no, it's--complicated. It would be--difficult to understand at your age. Ask me again when you're older?"

"Or never." Angus hadn't stuck out his tongue, but the action was implied.

"Well, there's always that possibility."

Breakfast was filled with similar quips and excited summaries of Angus' favorite books. During lapses in conversation, he'd glance at the time, squirm in his seat when he saw how much more he'd have to wait, and then get back to his conversation. He got dressed, memorized the route to the bookstore, read the last couple pages of the most recent Caleb Cleveland novel, and whined when he noticed it was still fifteen minutes before the shop opened. Times like these served as a reminder of how _young_ Angus was--he may have been a detective and a prodigy in magic, but he still bounced and beamed and held that boyish sparkle in his eyes.

Due to the nature of his job, Kravitz didn't see many children. The ones he _did_ see were victims of horrible fates, or children of criminals. So, of course, Kravitz wasn't _practiced_ at speaking to children. Angus made it easy enough, thankfully. He asked all the questions, and as long as Kravitz didn't answer them condescendingly, the kid ended up happy. Charming as hell, too. Had a lot of charisma.

As soon as the hour ran out, Angus had his feet in his shoes and was out the door. Kravitz thought the boy's enthusiasm for everything was cute until he had to escort him across town. Angus ran ahead, around corners, didn't look before he crossed the street--wasn't this kid supposed to be responsible? He noticed a shady group in an alley with their eyes on Angus. Kravitz hurriedly caught up and put an arm on his shoulder--the group shrugged and disappeared, not interested in prey that they'd have to work for.

Kravitz kept his grip on Angus. "Angus, please stay close. It's very busy here."

"Sorry, sir! I was just so excited!" Angus was normally keen on his surroundings, but today he had tunnel vision.

He sighed and let the boy go, which was a certified mistake. The bookstore was in sight, across the street--Angus bounded towards it with little regard for street traffic.

"Angus, please watch before you step out into the street!" Kravitz was heaving by the time he caught up.

The boy smiled shyly and opened the door to the bookstore. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

Immediately after he walked into the store, he ran straight into a human woman, knocking her into a display of hardcovers. They fell onto the floor in a heap, trapping the woman in some kind of book coffin. Angus stammered out apologies, eyes flickering between the door and the woman.

Kravitz ran in right after him, hands on his hips. _"Angus."_  

"Sorry," Angus said, directed both at the woman and at Kravitz, "I'm gonna go give them my ticket."

"Stay where I can see you, _please."_ Kravitz knelt down to help the woman up, and then got to work putting the books back on their proper shelves. "I apologize, he's very excited."

"Oh, no, it's alright--my daughter's been hopping all week over a book. Something about Cooper Cincinnati? I honestly don't know." She laughed, lifting a book out of the pile she fell in. "Aren't they so energetic at that age?"

He gave a wry smile, taking the books out of her hands. "I wouldn't know, I'm--not exactly practiced at this."

"The first ones are always the toughest." She wiggled herself out of the book vortex, still handing books over to Kravitz. "I barely baby-proofed _anything_ by the time I popped the third one out. Just locked the liquor cabinet."

"I'm...sorry?"

"Isn't that your son?" She pointed over to Angus, who was excitedly chatting in line with another child. "I didn't meant to embarrass you if he isn't!"

"He--erm, he's my boyfriend's."

"Oh--well, I could hardly tell!" She smiled. "He seems so smitten with you. I thought you were his father."

"Thank you, that's--comforting to hear." Kravitz placed the last book back on the display. "Are you sure you're unharmed?"

"Positive. My oldest's a football player, I can take a tackle or two." She trotted away, waving as she left. "I think my wife's over there. Thanks for helping!"

Kravitz waved back, and turned to watch Angus in line. Still happily chatting on with other kids in line. That's what Angus deserved, right? The chance to get excited over a book, and to have friends his age. To go to school, choose his own path. Grow up to be as sharp and cunning as his brain allowed. Have a loving family. A normal childhood. That's what Angus McDonald deserved, and that's what he was going to get.

A voice cut out from behind Kravitz, freezing his train of thought. "Isn't that Angus McDonald?"

"The one from your case?" asked the human woman who Kravitz was _just_ speaking to. Her wife--a gnome--stood next to her, eyes squinted at the line of children. The human didn't look like she picked Angus out of the crowd,  "When's that ending? I'd hate for you to have to suffer through jury duty for much longer."

"We're still adjourned, because they had to bunk the kid up with all the candidates? They haven't given us the data yet, but one guardian flunked out." The gnome sighed. "I hope it's over this week."

The human hummed. "How are you voting?"

"I can't say explicitly, but. I mean, it's clear, isn't it? You heard the broadcast; you're going to trust _Taako from TV_ with a _child?"_   The gnome laughed, high and shrill. It sent a shiver down Kravitz' spine. "I had the pleasure of a nice lunch with Violet McDonald, too, and she's a  _delight."_

Kravitz didn't stay to hear any more of the conversation. It would look bad on Taako's case if he yelled at this couple in the middle of a quiet bookstore. And, boy howdy, was he _close._ Sure, he spoke to the human and she was nice, and maybe the gnome was too, but they didn't know the whole picture. Kravitz didn't know the whole picture, but he knew that Violet was bad news. Also--shouldn't it have been suspicious to the juror that Violet tried to _bribe_ her?

He must have been wearing his anger plainly, because the next thing he saw was Angus' concerned face. He clutched his new book in his arms, but wasn't focused on it like he should have been. "Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm--fine, Angus." He took in a breath. "Thank you for your concern."

Angus didn't buy it. He looked where Kravitz had stormed in from, and his eyes widened. "Sir, that's one of the jurors!"

"I--know."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing, that's--"

He frowned, disappointed. "They're voting for Violet, aren't they?"

Kravitz kept his voice low, but anger trimmed the edges. "She--bribed her into it."

"I suspected as much." Angus thought for a solid minute. A light went off in his eyes, and he turned to Kravitz with a wicked grin. "Sir, you said you were a good actor?"

"I think I know what you're onto, Angus." Kravitz was up for whatever this was. He didn't have to know details--but if it involved wrecking this juror's perception of Taako, he was _all for it._  "You start, I can follow your lead."

Angus nodded, and then walked with Kravitz towards the exit like normal. As they approached the couple, though, Angus pulled off a very convincing trip, and fell right into the display of hardcovers that Kravitz _just_ cleaned up.

"Oh, _Angus!"_   Kravitz ran to the boy, helping him back onto both his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Ye-yes, I'm fine." He struggled to stand. "I got distracted."

"From what?"

Angus switched his voice to a stage whisper, loud enough for the juror to hear but soft enough that she'd think it wasn't an act. "I saw one of the jurors from my case."

Kravitz also spoke in a stage whisper now. "Oh--is that a problem?"

"I'm afraid they're going to take me away from--Papa." Angus tripped over the name, but it came out sounding like he was upset over being separated. Kravitz heard the human gasping.

"Uncle Barry is making sure they don't. He's got the best defense." 

"I'm still afraid of Aunt Violet." This part didn't sound entirely like an act, but it did cause the juror to drop her jaw. Angus managed to break out a few crocodile tears. "She's done so much to me."

Kravitz could hear the two women whispering to each other. "Well, Angus, I'm sure every juror will stay  _honest."_ This time, he looked directly at the gnome. She avoided eye contact. "Let's get you back to Taako."

"Mhmm." Angus wiped his tears off his sleeve and hugged Kravitz as hard as he could. "Thanks,  _dad."_

It might have been an act, but it almost caused Kravitz to spontaneously combust. 

The two walked out together, leaving the two women inside. As soon as they were out of range, Angus let out a nervous laugh. "Thank you for playing along, sir, that was--I think maybe that worked?"

"Perhaps they'll spread the word to the rest of the jurors." 

"Was my play-acting any good?"

"Wonderful." He smiled. "We should get back to the apartment. That fall looked like it hurt for real, do you want me to open a rift?"

"If you don't mind." Angus ran his thumb along the new, crisp pages. "I can't wait to start reading!"

"Yes, and I'm afraid you'd trip trying to read it while walking." Kravitz summoned his scythe and cut a rift, the inside of Taako's apartment on the other end. "In you go."

Angus hugged him and hopped on through, a little more confident after forming a crack in one of Violet's schemes.

* * *

"This is kind of weird," Angus said, already fifty pages into  _Caleb Cleveland and the Corrupt Convent._

Taako looked up from his copy of _Uncle John's Elven Bathroom Reader._ "Hm?"

"Well--it's chapter four already, and nothing bad's happened in this book. Nobody's been murdered yet." Angus wrinkled his nose and turned the book over in his hands, making sure he had the right one. "Usually it _starts_   with the crime."

"If you want bloody stories, Agnes, I've got _hundreds."_   Taako cheesed out a grin, which Angus shot down instantly. "Ehhh, but I'm sure it'll pick up soon."

"It's a very good book! It think the author is trying to put me on edge, though." He rubbed his chin. "Too many good things are happening in this story, it's got to get bad _sometime."_

"I'm sure your bloodshed will come soon. Always does." Taako closed his book and ran a hand through Angus' hair. "But it's time for kid detectives to go to bed, 'cause I think I'd get skewered if Mr. McElroy thought I wasn't givin' you enough sleep."

"One more hour?" Angus pouted. "I want to see what the crime is."

"Don't make me cast  _sleep_ on you." 

"Fine." Angus laid the book on the table and walked to his room. "Good night!"

Taako mumbled  _goodnight_ back. Once Angus was out of the room he thumbed through the book, skimming for spoilers. He could use it as leverage if Angus didn't eat his breakfast or something. He ended up doing more than skimming; even if the story was overdramatic and played up, it was interesting enough. A little too much kid endangerment, probably. It took nine chapters for anything _really_ bad to happen (even if the chapters were short, that was Too Much), but all hell broke loose in chapter twenty. The kids in the book ran away from home, and  _of fucking course they did._ Taako was surprised Angus hadn't figured it out, frankly; the author had been hinting at it since chapter three, it was right under his nose. Whatever. He didn't go through the rest of the book. Couldn't pretend to care that much. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c  
> when I was little, I wouldn't let my mom pull my teeth out until they hung by a nerve. once she said she saw food stuck in my teeth and yanked out my front tooth before I realized I was duped. (also, my google search history for this chapter had me look up what teeth you lose when you're eleven, so, the fbi agent assigned to my computer is probably confused)


	20. Too Smart for his Own Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus learns a few facts, and deals with them poorly.

At first, Angus was worried when he walked into the kitchen--the entire island was covered in muffins. Every time Angus saw baked goods, now, he reminded himself of the time Taako confessed he baked to ease his nerves. Did something bad happen this morning to cause this mountain of muffins? Nobody else was in the apartment; Magnus was coming to pick him up later, Barry and Lup and Kravitz were out fighting liches, and Merle had left Goldcliff with his kids a few days back. The flavors varied, though, so Angus wrote it off as baking practice. Taako was still getting used to the motions again, even if Violet's emetic stunt wasn't his fault.

Taako's voice stopped the gears from turning in Angus' head. "You done packing?"

"Yeah." Angus tapped his little boy briefcase. "There's not a lot."

Taako clicked his tongue, wagging his finger in front of Angus. "Wrong, you're not done. You forgot one thing." He stepped toward one of the kitchen drawers and slid it open in a flourish. He looked inside and picked out a butter knife, laying it handle-first into Angus' palm.

"Sir, this is--" Angus dropped his case and put both hands on the knife. He turned it over in the light, running his thumb over the familiar carving and design. Silverware from a family that used to be old money, but ran short in the more recent generations. Out in the same ranks as the Millers and the Sterlings, but now with fortune dried up. They had even forgotten his grandfather's _name._ "Is this from my grandpa's silverware set?"

"Yep." Taako eyed the drawer and pushed it closed. The sound of silver clashing against silver echoed through the kitchen.

Angus grinned, smug. "How much of my grandpa's silverware do you have in there?"

"Not important," is what Taako _said_ , but it sure sounded like he had the entire set in that drawer.

"Where did you get it?"

"You ask too many questions. Lup and I had to do _something_ while we waited for you to finish up at the nightmare houses." Taako laid dramatically against the drawer, partly for the act and partly to block Angus from it. "Frankly, it was _boring_ waiting around doing nothing."

"Can--can I have the rest of it back?"

"No, are you dense? I'm giving it back in _installments."_ Taako counted off his fingers lazily, eyes on the ceiling. "Like for birthdays and graduations and bar mitzvahs. So I don't have to remember to give you a real present."

"Whatever you say, sir." Angus examined the knife again. He swore he remembered the silver tarnished the last time he held it in his hands. But here, it looked like it had just been polished. _Thoroughly_    polished. Almost as if the tarnish was blown off with magic. Angus smiled, knowing that even past all the goofs and teases, he was still wanted here.

"We should get some food in you before I hand you back off to Magnus," he said, breaking Angus out of his thoughts. "Any requests?"

"Pancakes?"

Taako barked out a laugh. "You sure we aren't related, pumpkin? I was thinking the same thing." He lifted the frying pan off his pot rack and pointed towards the pantry. "Go get me the sugar, I'm teachin' you the secret batter recipe Lup an' I made up when we were eighty."

Angus chirped out a response and went to the pantry. On his way, he saw a piece of newspaper sticking out of the trash. Taako seemed occupied as he set up pans and bowls, so Angus dug through the trash to check the paper. Hadn't seen the news in weeks--Angus was one of those kids interested in reading more than the comics in papers. He figured he wouldn't have time to read the whole paper, but he was curious to see the headline. Angus had practically been living in a bubble for the past few months. He was excited to see the end of it--to be able to concern himself with mundane things like the news.

His heart sank when he scanned the headline.

_TAAKO, FROM TV: ALLEGEDLY THROWS BOY INTO VASE_

The muffins on the counter stared at him with a new purpose.

* * *

Angus noticed everything.

He noticed the sad looks exchanged between Magnus and Taako. He noticed how Magnus refused to walk near the courthouse on their way to the rental. He noticed the absence of Mr. McElroy--he was supposed to meet with Magnus and Angus and catalog evidence. He noticed Magnus making calls at all hours of the day. He called Lucretia once per day and Barry three times, but never spoke to Taako. He also called people who Angus didn't recognize--and, maybe he shouldn't have used magic to intercept Magnus' calls, but. The boy knew when something was wrong, and it ate at him not knowing the full story.

They didn't leave the house for a week, and Angus was getting stir crazy.

Taako didn't write anything in his journal. Angus still didn't have a stone of Farspeech, so he couldn't call to ask what was wrong, either. Merle and his kids left to go back home--not that Angus enjoyed fighting Mookie off, but it was better than being alone. And he had _just_ gotten Mavis to read Caleb Cleveland. Lup, Barry, and Kravitz didn't open any portals to visit him. It felt like he was being ignored, which, he was kind of used to, but not _here._ Angus was spoiled on love while at Taako's, and going back to being ignored didn't do a lot of good on his brain.

Magnus did what he could. Brought back treats from the bakery _(none of them were as good as Taako's)_.  Helped him with his magic school application _(Angus was afraid he wouldn't be able to attend after all)_.  Played keep-away with one of his books _(a good joke, now that Angus knew it wasn't in bad spirits, but he still wanted his book back)_.  Smiled wide as he cracked a joke Angus didn't understand _(he never understood his humor, but maybe it was a cultural difference?)_.  Taught Angus how to stain wood _(they worked on a bedside table together, and Magnus told Angus he could take it back home when this was all over)_. Told Angus stories _(some that he had heard in the broadcast, some that he hadn't)._ Gave the best hugs _(bordered on too tight, maybe)._

And, if it were any other week, it would have been a fun stay with Magnus.

The whole thing still unsettled the kid. Magnus didn't let him read the paper. When Angus pressed him on why, he would shrug and say he didn't like reading the news. Then, he'd try to distract Angus with a trick, removing the end of his thumb with his two forefingers--an impressive trick, sure, one which Angus _really wanted to learn later,_ but found every neuron in his brain occupied with the headline he saw.

Sometimes he could drown out his fears. But his Caleb Cleveland novel wasn't a great escape--the kids in the book were trapped in a convent, and it only served as an echo to how _trapped_ Angus felt. He tried practicing magic--he stopped when he noticed Magnus watching him, a sad look in his eyes. Magnus taught him how to whittle (Angus used the knife from Magnus' grandfather), showing him how to carve out wooden eggs. Eggs were easy practice, he assured, and even if it took three blocks of wood for Angus to get the proportions right it was a nice distraction.

The only _good_ distraction was the day Carey and Killian came to visit.

Or, babysit? It sure seemed like babysitting.

Magnus swore he was only leaving for groceries, but forgot his coin purse. Didn't come back for it, either. Unless there was a market in Goldcliff that took carved ducks as currency, he'd be shit out of luck. Angus was deep into thought about how suspicious this was, but was quickly interrupted by Killian sweeping him off his feet and hanging him upside-down.

"Yo, can you even carry kids like that?" Carey asked.

"Dunno." Killian shook Angus at the ankles. "You okay, Angus?"

"I've had worse," Angus mumbled. His glasses fell to the floor. Carey snatched and pocketed them. "Um, ma'am, I really need those--"

"It's good, Angus, just holdin' onto them until my girl lets you go."

"Are you ever going to?" he asked, grimacing up at Killian.

Killian shrugged and turned her head towards Carey. "Is it bad for humans to let blood drain up to their head for too long?"

Carey grimaced and made an _ehhhhhh_   gesture with her hands.

She turned Angus in her arms so his feet pointed to the ground and propped him up on her shoulders. Carey slipped his glasses back onto his face. Angus adjusted them, sighed, and held his arms around Killian's head for support.

"Someone sounds down," Killian said, moving into the kitchen with Angus still planted on her shoulders.

"I just don't know why I can't go _outside."_   He ducked so he didn't hit his head on the doorframe, and then touched the ceiling out of curiosity. "It's not like I can _go_ anywhere, and I really want to know what's going on!"

"If I knew what was up, I'd tell you. Nobody's told us shit." Carey grabbed a few ice popsicles from the fridge, the really cheap ones. She handed two to Killian, who passed one up to Angus. "If it was really bad, they'd have taken you out of Magnus' house." She took scissors and cut off the plastic of Killian's popsicle.

"Are you sure?" Angus held his popsicle in range of Carey's scissors. Once she cut off the top, he brought it back up to his level. The plastic tickled his lips painfully as he ate it. "I've seen a lot of this before, and, I'm not super confident in...anyone's ability to fix it?"

"Yeah, fuck the law!" Carey cut off a popsicle for herself.

Angus looked down at Killian for a reaction. It took her a moment, but she eventually remembered to say, "Carey, he's eleven. Careful."

"You think I'm worried about corrupting _Taako's_ kid?" Both women snorted and laughed, but Angus almost collapsed in on himself after being called _Taako's._ It wasn't like he was embarrassed, but lately he knew there was a real chance that he _wouldn't_ end up with Taako. On top of that, he didn't yet know if Taako was just going to be his legal guardian and nothing more than that, or if it was going to be more of a father-son relationship. Carey must have noticed Angus' discomfort, because she followed up immediately with, "Oh, uh, is that not--"

"No, it's fine!"

"You sure?" Killian asked.

"Yes, um." Angus took a big bite out of the ice popsicle.  "It's good."

The couple shared a nervous glance. Angus started talking about magic straight afterwards, though, so they didn't press him any further. Any questions he had about Taako being his guardian versus being his dad weren't what he was worried about at the moment. Well, he worried about that a lot. But now he was more worried about being at Taako's  _at all._  If he ended up at Violet's, he knew she'd never let him near Taako as long as she could. He wouldn't be able to study magic--he'd probably have two degrees in a subject that didn't interest him, and then he'd be locked in a  _career_ that didn't interest him. He'd be eighteen and have to provide financially for himself, and, he'd have to work a job using the degrees he wasn't passionate about, and once he  _did_ manage to get financially stable, it would probably be too late for him to go study magic anyway. 

Humans didn't have a lot of time.

And Angus wasn't about to waste any of his. He was lucky, he still  _had_ time. Violet was trying to take it away from him. Angus had the sinking suspicion that everything--the reason he couldn't go to court, Mr. McElroy's absence, the newspaper headline--it must have been Violet's fault.

But _why?_

_Why_ would she do this?

Sure, Angus was smart, but he was just one kid. Not worth all the trouble Violet was going through to get him into her house. He had a lot of people that loved him, now. Why would Violet try to pry him out of that? What did she gain by micromanaging Angus and keeping him away from good things?

Maybe she was just...bad?

It wasn't as if Angus thought she was particularly _evil_ when he was younger. He felt himself trying to deny it-- _this must be a mistake, she would never do that, she said she thinks of me as her own--_ but knew that these thoughts were bad. Lup and Taako had told him that much; sometimes the brain remembers things _wrong,_ especially _bad things._ Just because his memory was foggy when he tried to think of bad things Violet did doesn't mean that she was _good._

All he had was a gut feeling that told him to run away from Violet. Angus was pretty good at insight checks, too, so he had no reason to doubt himself.

He wasn't allowed to court. It was supposed to be in session, but Angus wasn't allowed in. Whenever Angus asked why he couldn't attend, Magnus dodged the question. Then, he'd try to distract Angus with the same thumb-removing trick--wasn't as impressive the fifth time.

Angus McDonald was no chump; all the adults around him were acting  _strange,_  and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Magnus, sir?"

"Yeah?" Magnus popped his head in from the other room, a half-carved duck in his hands.

"When does court go back in session?"

"Um." He shuffled into the room and sat on the couch opposite from Angus. Wood shavings followed him wherever he went. "Soon, buddy. I think--Mr. McElroy is still going through a bunch of evidence."

Angus squinted. "Didn't he say he'd do that with us?"

"Maybe he didn't want to scare you." Magnus didn't look Angus in the eye, paying very close attention to his carving. Usually, ducks were second nature to him, he didn't have to think too hard when whittling one out. But he had trouble with this one. It wasn't even _good--_ the neck was too thick, the butt was too flat, and the beak was too wide. His hands were shaking as he carved. "You know he's, uh, used to working with kids that have _way_ less passive perception than you do."

"Mhmm." Angus drummed his fingers over his book. He'd always been able to tell when adults were lying to him. Magnus, especially, was a bad liar. "Can we call him over?"

Magnus swallowed, carving faster. "I can--" He whittled a big chunk off the neck and nicked the beak on accident. "I can try?"

After a bit of silence, Angus stood up. "Alright. I'll go get dressed while you call him."

Magnus accidentally chopped the duck's neck in half as Angus shut the door.

* * *

"Mister McElroy!" Angus meant to sound chipper, but it came out impatient. "What is going _on?"_

"I--don't know what you're talking about, Angus," he answered, which was a horrible, horrible lie. If adults were going to lie to him so often, maybe they should get better at it.

"I saw a headline in the paper pinning my injuries on Mister Taako, and nobody will tell me why that happened or what's going on." Angus didn't mean to sound so confrontational, but the boy was frustrated and confused. A little yelling was fair. "I haven't been to court in _a week!_ And I know it's been in session. Everyone's hiding something from me."

"Angus," Mr. McElroy started, in the voice adults always used when they didn't believe Angus, "Everything is fine."

"Bullshit," Angus said.

_"Language."_

"No!" He felt his face heating up. This was childish. Angus knew that. But he couldn't help being upset. People were hiding things from him, things that had a big impact on his future. "Sir, I might be a little kid, but I'm not _stupid._ I _know_ when something is wrong, and I _know_ when I'm being lied to!"

"Nobody is lying to you, Angus, we just can't disclose certain information to you. Not yet." Mr. McElroy wouldn't look Angus in the eye. If he wasn't lying, he must have been hiding something. Something  _bad._  

Letting himself be frustrated didn't work. He'd have to figure something else out. Angus knew adults thought he was cute, so he tried his best to look sympathetic. "Please, sir, I have a right to know what's going on."

"You don't. You don't, it's--" The halfling drew a hand across his face. "You'll just have to let the adults worry about this one. Let us fix this, alright?"

So much for sympathy. Time to switch gears. 

He was slightly taller than Mr. McElroy (halflings were so _small)_ and didn't feel much shame in getting up in his grill. Had to use every advantage at his disposal. He had never passed an intimidation check in his life, but, first time for everything, right? "I--I told you at the beginning, I didn't--trust what social workers did, in cases like mine?" He made himself taller, trying to get any advantage he could. "And--sir, I'm very thankful that you gave me some agency over my own case, but...I need to know what's happening behind my back."

"It's not good." Mr. McElroy shook his head. "I don't want to upset you."

"I'm already upset, sir!" Angus dug his foot into the ground. "I would rather know what was really going on. I would feel better if I knew what was happening."

"You're a child, Angus, you wouldn't understand."

"I'm--" Angus lowered his voice, hoping it'd make him sound older. "I'm a detective, sir."

"A _boy_ detective." Without even having to try, his voice was so much lower than Angus'.

"That doesn't make me any less smart!" There he went, raising his voice again. He could see Mr. McElroy taking him less serious by the second--not much he could do about that, though. He had a right to be a  _little_ irrational. "I notice more than adults do. Mister Taako says I'm very quick at learning magic, that there's a lot I can do with it!"

Mr. McElroy frowned. "Sometimes people who love you will say bigger praises than needed."

"That's--no, that's not what this is!" Angus' face heat up in embarrassment. Surely Taako hadn't lied to him about--no, wait. That was dumb. He didn't give a lot of positive reinforcement in the first place. Of course he meant everything he said. But now he was thinking about Taako and not his future, and--fuck. A distraction. How did he fall for that? "You're changing the subject. That's unfair."

"There isn't anything I can tell you at this poi--"

Angus put his hands on his hips. "Have you spoken to Violet lately?"

"I--" He paused for a good few moments before answering. "Yes."

"So you've been bribed?"

"No."

"Have you been blackmailed?"

"No."

"Threatened?"

Mr. McElroy hesitated before answering, "No."

_"Sir."_ Briefly, Angus felt bad. Then, he remembered that  _this_ was part of the reason he was in deep shit. If Mr. McElroy held out for longer, Angus wouldn't be in this situation. "Why would you go behind our backs like this? Why not call the militia?"

"Angus, I have three sons. My oldest is fourteen, and my baby is eight." He wrung his hands together. "I'd do anything to protect them. When--if you ever have kids, you'd know that."

"Even if it means ruining someone else's life?"

Mr. McElroy opened his mouth to answer, but he didn't have much to say. He stammered out a few excuses-- _it's getting late, really have to leave, sorry we couldn't talk longer._ Nothing he really meant. Magnus let him out, and didn't ask questions about the meeting. He knew it didn't go well. As Mr. McElroy left, though, he muttered out, "I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do to fix it. It's already done."

Angus didn't do a lot of talking for the rest of the day.

* * *

It was the eighth day Angus was stuck in the house.

Magnus was exhausted. Carey and Killian visited again in the morning, and Magnus just...took a nap while they babysat. Angus knew he wasn't acting very patient, and that he was the reason Magnus was so goddamn  _tired,_ but he couldn't help it. Carey and Killian didn't have a lot to say--Angus wasn't talking. He bounced his leg when he sat and chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn't ask questions--boy was smart enough to know that nobody was going to answer him at this point. Within two hours, Carey and Killian woke Magnus and asked to be relieved of babysitting duty. A silent Angus was...unnerving. But Angus couldn't stand to lie and pretend to be chipper. His whole future was a big fat question mark. Halfway through the afternoon, Magnus got a call on his stone. "It's Lucretia," he said, words tumbling out in a mumble, "Be back in a minute." 

Angus had stopped eavesdropping on Magnus' stone conversations. He never got any information he really wanted. He had the impression that Magnus left the house to take calls that were  _really_ important. Lately, he'd just been getting calls for moral support. Angus felt bad for causing the bags under Magnus' eyes and the waver in his voice, that was rude.

But, wasn't it also rude that nobody updated Angus on the trial?

Fine. If nobody was going to give Angus information, he'd just have to take it himself. 

Angus learned a spell on his own, out of a divination book Taako threw into his room the day before he left. Clairvoyance was another high-level spell for Angus, but it came surprisingly easy to him. Didn't exhaust him as much as high-level spells used to. Maybe with all the magic practice, he was getting more spell slots? Or he was leveling up, somehow? He'd have to ask Taako.

The courthouse was just about a mile away--right at the edge of the spell's range. Clairvoyance allowed him to choose between seeing or hearing, and since he'd been at the courthouse multiple times, he wouldn't have a problem putting a sensor there. He remembered the location well enough. With a flick of his wrist and a few incantations, Angus heard a dull conversation at the back of his mind.

"--and, therefore, all of the evidence collected by Mr. McElroy is forfeit."  The voice sounded like one of Violet's lawyers. Angus could also hear faint chattering from farther away. Court must have been in session at that time. "He's admitted a bias towards Taako from TV, it's not impossible that he was bribed to forge evidence."

"Let's not forget that Angus _knew_   he was being recorded, according to the report," said a different voice. A second lawyer. "We learned that the boy informed Taako of this recording. And, knowing Taako's affinity for charm spells, there's a very large chance he forced Angus to swing the evidence in his favor."

"I can't believe he'd do that to my dearest nephew," Violet's voice said, accompanied by some fake tears.

There was a cough, and then Barry started to speak. "You don't have any evidence of that."

"You don't have any evidence he  _didn't."_

"Your Honor, isn't that--isn't that some kind of violation?" Barry's voice was barely there. "Their defense can't just  _say_ all these things and expect the court to believe it. Just because we don't have evidence of Taako's innocence doesn't mean Mrs. McDonald is innocent, too."

"I'm sorry, but I have to side with the McDonalds on this one," the judge said, "Taako should have kept better records if he didn't want to be accused of this."

"Hold on--excuse me?" Lup's voice cut in, louder than most others. "In what universe is it  _his_ fault that he didn't--fuckin', prepare to be accused for  _child abuse?_ How could he have known that?"

The judge's voice paused. "Ma'am, if you speak out of turn again, I will have you held in contempt."

A snort. "Contempt my ass--"

Barry's voice came out as a warning. _"Babe--"_

"As if I'll just sit here and let this  _bitch_ talk shit about my brother--"

"You can't  _say_ that here, Lup--"

Angus' mind was drowned out for a minute with at least ten voices talking. After a moment, he heard shuffling, and then Lup's voice left the room. It took a minute or so for the court to get back on track, and Angus had to drop the spell for a moment to calm down. He put it back up, catching one of Violet's lawyers in mid-sentence. "--suspicious that he'd wait until the second day before reporting Angus' injury." Angus heard murmuring from the jury, but was unable to catch any specific words. The lawyer kept on. "Isn't it more plausible that  _he_ inflicted them and then pinned the blame on the innocent Mrs. McDonald?"

The second lawyer chimed in. "And because it was healed with magic directly after the injury was reported, we have no way to accurately determine when the injury was truly inflicted." 

Somehow, Barry's voice became smaller. "But--it was documented by--"

"Mr. McElroy, whom we have already debunked as a credible source."

"He admitted to the forgeries  _himself."_ This lawyer was too fucking smug. 

Barry scoffed. "But there's still hours of audio evidence--"

"--that he could have tampered with--"

"--and there's no  _evidence_ that he tampered with it--"

"That's enough," the judge said, lazily, "Please, Mr. Bluejeans, step down."

"I was asking  _rational_ questions."

"Step _down."_

Angus couldn't believe it. The judge was favoring Violet, hard. Almost too much? Barry didn't say anything wrong, all his questions were justified. And why didn't the judge call in Angus as a witness? If they thought he was under a charm, that would be an easy thing for them to debunk in court. But, then again, it was easier for the jury to side with Violet if Angus wasn't there to debunk the bullshit she said.

"Hey, I've got a fuckin' idea--" Taako's voice popped up for the first time. "Let's get a new judge, 'cause this one's got  _quite_ the affinity for Missy Violet over there."

"I'll hold you in contempt, too, Mr. TV." Angus couldn't see the judge's face, but they must have looked angry. 

"Go ahead and try," Taako said, and then all hell broke loose. Shouting from all sides of Angus' sensor came off, and he couldn't pick out anything specific. Honestly, it was overstimulating--too much at once, no breaks, and too loud. Angus needed to turn it off, get it out of his head, because  _oh, wow, this many voices in the same brain is so **crowded--**_

Right before Angus cut out, he heard Taako's voice ring through one last time. "This shit's been rigged from the top, hasn't it?"

Angus dropped his wand. The voices stopped. 

Taako was right. This was rigged from the beginning. Angus had ties to the militia, sure, but Violet did too. Who knew how deep this ran? The judge was definitely on her side. Obviously she was bribing jurors. Blackmailing Mr. McElroy. Publishing lies about Taako and (most likely) others in the papers. Angus had seen rigged trials before, he had seen corruption. Once it started, there wasn't much to be done to stop it. There wasn't anything--nothing Taako, or Magnus, or Mr. McElroy, or anyone--could do to stop the inevitable. Angus was dumb to believe that Taako was his third option. There were never any options. It was only Violet.

But now, knowing all this information, Angus gained two new options.

He could sit back and let the court set him up in Violet's house. He could get his two doctorates in subjects he didn't care about, and he could get a job that he hated. He could pretend to be happy in Violet's home, and then leave the  _second_ he turned eighteen. Everyone from the BOB would have forgotten about him by then. 

Or, second option: Angus could... _not_ do any of that. But  _that--_ the way he'd accomplish that--would be a very bad idea. He'd always be down a spell slot. He'd have trouble eating. He wouldn't see anyone for years--and then, again, they'd all forget about him. Probably.

Two options, and neither of them were good. 

Angus thought about it.

He really did.

He thought about it for a long time, until he heard Magnus ending his call with Lucretia. His footsteps were getting closer. 

He'd have to think fast.

Stay, or leave.

Jailed, or unsupported. 

Suffer, or suffer.

No third option.

The window in his room was open. The briefcase he brought was still packed. His mini-crossbow sat next to his bed. Magnus was distracted. Taako was fighting for Angus' life a mile away and was  _losing._  

Angus picked his wand back up and cast a fourth level necromancy spell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh
> 
> me, to my brain: you can't start writing the sequel fic before you finish this fic  
> my brain: yOu cAN't StArt wRItinG thE seQUEl FiC befORe YOu fINisH thIS FIc  
> (my brain, also: write all the sequel chapters OUT OF ORDER  
> me: i hate you)  
> (alternatively: this is the reason why it took me longer to update this time)  
> so yeah, because I ALREADY miss writing wholesome angus family bonding, i'm doing a sequel to this soon that's just. all angus family bonding. but i won't post any of it until i finish this fic (nine chapters to go!)  
> did ya'll know that i've already written chapter 29??? i jumped too far ahead  
> but until then, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hm. angus might get into some trouble! we'll see!


	21. The Chase Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus gives everyone the runaround.

"Contempt, my ass!" Taako shouted, storming down the steps to the courthouse. Barry followed behind, hand in his hair, a sick look on his face. Taako's face must have been similarly discolored, from all the looks he got from passerby. There were a few journalists swarming the courthouse. Taako shooed them away like pigeons.

"You too?" Lup asked, accompanied by Kravitz (who had been kicked out for shouting at the jury). They both ran up to meet Taako and Barry at the base of the stairs.

Kravitz frowned and squeezed one of Taako's shoulders comfortingly. "All of the color's drained from your faces, what happened?"

Taako hissed a particularly nosy journalist away before answering. He spoke low and quiet, in case someone was listening. Or, in case _someone_ put a magic sensor in the area. Damn that kid and his affinity for divination. They'd tell Angus soon, but--not until they knew for sure there wasn't any hope. Although, that moment was coming pretty soon. "They're--they're about to slam the _fucking_ gavel down on Angus' life in there."  

_"Fuck!"_ Lup dug her heel into the ground. She broke though between Barry and Taako up to the courthouse stairs. "I don't care about contempt, I'm going back in there."

"Don't, don't--don't do that, Lup--" Barry reached for her arm, but she swat it away and kept walking. His stone of Farspeech flashed red, urgent. Must have been Magnus, but why would it be so urgent? "Taako? Can you stop her? Magnus is calling, I need to give him an update."

Taako ran up the stairs for Lup. Barry didn't pay enough attention to hear what the two were saying, but Lup wasn't doing too well. Neither was Taako, but once one twin noticed the other suffering, they'd put their own shit aside--his mind was now occupied getting Lup back to herself. Barry touched his stone of Farspeech.

"Magnus? I was just about to call you, what's--"

"Um--" Magnus didn't say much for a few seconds. The stone picked up mumbling and the faint sound of furniture being pushed, lifted, and clattered around. "Can you, uh. Kravitz knows how to find souls, right?"

Barry's stomach dropped. He tried to sound calm. "Yes?"

"H-hand the stone over to him for me?" Oh, _shit,_ that was Magnus' _shit's bad but stay calm_ voice. Barry shoved the stone in Kravitz' palms.

Kravitz hesitated, unsure if the call was really for him. After a few stumbling hand gestures from Barry, he got the right idea. He lifted the stone right in front of his face. "Hello, Magnus?"

"Yeah, hi, howdy--" Magnus' voice wavered more and the sounds of furniture in the background became louder. The sounds of doors opening and shutting also drifted through. "C-can you do me a quick, quick favor and tell me where Angus is?"

"Did you lose a game of hide-and-seek with him?" Kravitz asked, afraid of the answer.

"...... _Yeah,_ let's go with that."

Barry covered his face. _"Magnus."_

Magnus' voice came out more panicked now. "Just--look for his soul and don't tell Taako. Please."

Upon hearing his name, Taako appeared behind Kravitz. Dude was like fucking Beetlejuice. He didn't seem to have passed his perception check, though, because he was the most calm out of the entire group. Lup saw the horrified faces of Kravitz and Barry and ran after Taako. He forced a smile and asked, "Someone called?"

"Oh--" Kravitz panicked. His eyes flicked from Barry to Taako before answering. "No?"

His smile cracked, an edge of pain lining it now. "Babe, if you're gonna lie to me, you've gotta do a better job than _that."_

"No, no, everything is alright, I just--" Kravitz laid the stone back into Barry's hands and called his scythe. "I'm going to go check on Angus. I'll only be a moment."

Taako nodded, slow, dread bubbling up just below the surface. Kravitz tore open a rift, and was about to step through until--

"That's--strange." He closed the rift. His hands were shaking.

The rest of the group stumbled out a, _"What?"_ altogether. Taako's knuckles turned white for how tightly they gripped to Lup.

"It's fuzzy." He stood there for a moment, before realizing that wasn't enough of an explanation. "It's--fragmented? It feels like Angus is everywhere, all at once."

The realization hit both twins at the same time.

And then they both hit Barry at the same time.

_"BARRY!"_   

_"BABE!"_

Barry shrunk immediately, sweat rolling down his forehead. "I-I-I just thought he'd want privacy!" 

_"You_ did this, Barry?" Kravitz opened another rift. He looked through it, and then back to Barry. "His soul is all over the place, how did he--"

"I can't _believe this--"_ Taako pulled the edge of his hat down past his ears. "Barold taught my son _fucking--necromancy spells--"_

"Necromancy _spell,_ Taako, just _one_ spell! Nothing he can get thrown in the Stockade for!" Barry wrung his hands--he didn't have the heart to yell at Taako, but he was doing his best to defend himself. "It's a _little_ invasive that such a large percentage of his family has a direct line to his location at all times--"

"Yeah, whatever, I _get_ that, but could you not have saved that for _later?_ When he's, like, a teenager trying to sneak out with his date or something?"  Taako didn't have the same restraint Barry had, and brought his voice up to a deafening level, unafraid to get up in Barry's face. "Not when he's a _little boy_ in the middle of this--fuckin'--corrupt _court case!_   Fuck, Barry, I wrote about running away from home in the fuckin'-- _journal_ I gave him, and now he knows how to _hide_ himself _indefinitely?"_

"I--" Barry's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, yeah, you're--right."

Lup pulled Taako away, squeezing his arm. "What's done is done, we have to--" She looked all around, trying to hide the panic rising at the back of her head. "The quicker we start looking, the easier it'll be to find him, right?"

A few nods of agreement. Kravitz raised his hand like this was some kind of class. "Do any of you know spells that could track him?"

Barry shook his head. "No, the spells used to track creatures locate them by finding their soul. I designed the spell to be immune to all forms of tracking."

"Great, _way to go!"_   Taako threw his hands up in the air and walked off. "Nice fuckin' design."

"You're not _helping,"_   Lup said, tugging her brother back into the circle of planning.

"What about Locate Object?" Barry asked, desperately trying to fix his mistake. "Any of Angus' possessions would work for that one."

"We could start with that." Lup took in a breath, running a few mental calculations through her head. "Barry, what's the range of your soul dispersion spell?"

"Two miles."

Taako looked like he was about to pull all his hair out. _"Fuck--_ Locate Object's range is less than a _fourth_ of that!"

"We can still try it, Angus couldn't have gone far yet," Kravitz said.

Lup nodded and snatched the stone out of Barry's hand. "Magnus, look around for Angus, he couldn't have gone far--" She threw the stone to Taako and turned towards Barry. "--Barry, go back into court and tell them we've got a missing child, see if you can't interrupt that verdict."

"Have a hard time believing they'd give a shit," Taako muttered.

"Maybe they'll send out some kind of search party?" Barry let out a puff of breath. "I'll go interrupt court. Uh, Taako, again, I'm _sorry_ that--"

"Don't--just don't, okay? I'd rather find Angus now and yell at you later."

Barry nodded and ran up the stairs to the courthouse.

"I'll keep you updated!" Magnus shouted, and then cut out of the call.

Kravitz shuffled his feet, hands gripping his scythe nervously. "I don't know Locate Object, should I take somebody that knows it and carry them around town?"

"Great idea--Taako and I both know it--"

"It's not on my list anymore."

"Well, get your _fucking tome back out_ and _refresh yourself!"_ She cursed. Lup didn't mean to raise her voice so much. "I can rift around town, I'll go alone. Follow Ghost Rider around town, okay?"

"Gimmie fifteen minutes," he mumbled, taking out his copy of _Uncle John's Elven Bathroom Reader._

"What kind of shit do you think Angus took with him?"

"Uhh, he probably has my journal--" Taako jumped, took out the journal he linked to Angus' and shoving it into Kravitz' arms. "Speaking of which, Krav, while I'm studying this shit, just _keep writing_ in here, maybe Angus will answer you--" He turned his attention back to Lup. "But also, uh, his--fuckin', crossbow? His new book? His glasses, his shoes, his wand, his--I just gave him the butter knife out of that silverware set."

"I'll start with that." Lup cut a rift and hopped through. "Keep me posted."

"Yeah." Taako sat on the steps to the courthouse and cracked open his bathroom reader.

"It's going to be okay," Kravitz said, more as a comfort to him than to Taako.

"I know, Angus--he can make it, that's not what I'm fuckin' worried about."

"Then?"

"It's just--if we don't catch him soon, he's--ugh, he's smart enough to run from us pretty much indefinitely?" Taako found the page detailing Locate Object in his tome. "We really need to catch him before he gets too far, or else, I feel like we won't see him until he's all grown up."

"You think he would stay hidden out until he was eighteen?" Kravitz asked.

"Kid's stubborn. Of course he would." Taako dug his nose in his book. "Now, shut up, I gotta--get this spell in my head. Start writing, see if he doesn't answer."

Kravitz sat next to Taako on the steps and flipped to the correct page in the journal. He wrote down little notes-- _Angus, please, take off the spell? Angus, Taako is worried. Angus, we're going to find you--_ but Angus didn't write anything back in return.

He did notice a line of ink appear on the page--a line that Kravitz didn't write. 

At least Angus was reading them, then. 

* * *

Lup found the first one.

Within a few minutes, she caught a beacon on Angus' butter knife. This was great! She'd wrangle the kid, calm him down, and then they could figure out how to get him away from Violet forever. Hell, maybe they'd be able to swing the jury in their favor--this was _obvious, undeniable_ proof that Angus didn't want to be with Violet. Not much they could do to deny it. And if they did, Taako could probably sue them later? Using a new judge, and a new jury, and without the blatant corruption? It would be fine, it would be  _fine._ They had options. Hell, maybe they'd be able to rope in some of their contacts? Didn't Merle know the Duke of Neverwinter or something? Or Lord? (Lup fucked up that history check, she didn't know.)  Lucretia must have some good contacts, too. Not to mention that she was in direct contact with an actual, literal goddess...but it would be pretty difficult to get her to testify in court. Was that even possible?

Didn't matter. Lup needed to find Angus.

The trail took her to an alleyway close to Magnus' rental home. She ran right into the alley, hoping that Angus didn't get in trouble with weirdos on the street. Lup came fully prepared to punch some assholes in the gut, and the face, and anywhere else her fists might land. Angus had been in the papers for the past week, so it wasn't entirely out of the picture that he was  _kidnapped,_ and--oof, that wasn't a pleasant thought. She pushed all those thoughts to the back of her head as she ran down the alley, calling for Angus.

But the alley was empty.

A silver butter knife sat underneath a dumpster. It was Angus', there wasn't any question about it.

But no Angus.

There _was,_ however, a piece of paper underneath, with a quick note scribbled on.

_I'll be back soon! Sorry!_

Lup set the note on fire and cursed.

* * *

Barry thought he was clever when he cast Locate Object on Angus' wand.

Because Angus--of course, Angus needed his wand. He wouldn't be able to refresh his disguise spell if he didn't. Once he heard that Angus was clever enough to sacrifice his belongings to throw off their Locate Object search, he knew it was useless to try and search for mundane things like shoes or books--he had to go for the necessities. Angus couldn't get very far without his wand. 

The beacon told Barry that the wand was out back behind a soup kitchen.

He searched everywhere behind the building. Angus wasn't there either. His wand was there, sitting beneath a pile of bricks. It was in good shape, not taken from him by force. Similar to the knife Lup found, there was a hastily scratched note laying underneath:

_Don't worry, I found a second focus! I'll be alright. Sorry!_

Barry proceeded to call all of the magic supply stores in the area. None of them turned up any leads. 

It was going to be hard to catch a kid this clever.

* * *

Taako was next.

When he caught a beacon on Angus' copy of Caleb Cleveland and the Corrupt Convent, he worried--Lup and Barry called and warned that Angus was dropping his shit as a distraction. And if Taako wasn't desperately trying to find Angus before he ran away too far, he'd offer some kind of backhanded congratulations, because that was really fucking smart. But this copy of Caleb Cleveland was _new_ and he hadn't finished reading it yet. Surely Angus wouldn't abandon his special book. Would he? 

The spell told him that Angus' book was inside a crowded diner. 

He and Kravitz rushed through the door, startling all the customers. A quick search showed that the kid wasn't inside, but they found a small halfling man thumbing through Angus' Caleb Cleveland novel. He was young, maybe in his mid-20s? Too old to be reading Caleb Cleveland novels, anyway. 

"Hey, uh, hail and well met--" Taako tried to stay as calm as possible. This dude could be a pretty good lead, it would be bad if he ran away. "Have you seen, uh, my son?" Kind of a tired line, but Taako needed to appeal to this dude in any way possible.

The man looked up from his book and practically  _squeaked--_ blurting out in a frenzy, "T-Taako?" before shaking his head and adjusting his statement to, "--from TV? What's such a big celebrity like you doing in here?"

"Oh, you a fan?" Taako could barely force out a grin.

The halfling's face lit up. "Yes, absolutely! I saw your show when I was in college at Neverwinter!" 

"Uh, yeah, that was--that was a pretty good show?" Taako didn't remember doing a show in Neverwinter, but his memory was pretty shitty and he didn't question it. He barely remembered the show in the Underdark--took him a few deaths in Refuge to convince Ren he knew her specifically. And Taako was really popular at one point, why wouldn't he have done a show in Neverwinter? "Anyway, can you help me out?"

The man nodded so fast his eyes almost fell out of his skull. "Of course! I didn't know you had a son, but, what does he look like?"

"Recent development," Taako said. He and Kravitz sat down opposite from the halfling. "Uh, he's, like, eleven years old, about yea high, glasses, dark skin, fancy clothes, looks really booksmart? Name's Angus McDonald?"

"The kid in the papers?" The halfling shut the book. "Yeah, I saw him."

_"Where?"_

"Here. Just a few minutes ago. Left this book on the counter, so, I thought I'd take a peek--" He glanced down at the book, guilty. "He was in a hurry."

Kravitz leaned forward, an intense look on his face. Did he think this was an interrogation? "Did he say anything to you?"

"He was on his way to Rockport," he said, after a moment of thought, "But he didn't say which road he was taking. Sorry."

"No, that's--that's pretty good. We could--put guards on the roads, or something. There's only so many he could take." Taako drummed his fingers on the table. "Did he seem okay?"

"Frazzled, maybe, but not hurt." The man frowned. "I'm sorry you have to go through such a thing."

"We're more worried for Angus," Kravitz said. "And we should get going. We need to cover a lot of ground if we're going to find the boy by nightfall."

The halfling nodded, and caressed his hand over the Caleb Cleveland novel. "Mind if I keep the book? It's actually pretty interesting."

"No, uh, I'll need that back." Taako grabbed the book and shoved it into his bag. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I understand." It didn't seem like he _did_ understand, though--dude looked sad. Whatever. Maybe he had a kid that wanted to read it. "You got any kind of reward for, I dunno, helping out?"

"Uh, s-sure--" Taako slid a couple gold pieces across the table without thinking. Did he fail some kind of saving throw? He wasn't one to just  _give away_ money. He squinted, but it didn't  _feel_ like the halfling cast anything on him. Ugh. Maybe Taako was just getting soft.  _Unfair._

The halfling grinned and stood up. "Well, if, uh, you don't need anything else, I really have to get going. Back to--" He paused, a complicated look on his face. "Back to--my... _wife?"_

Taako barked out a laugh. "Oh, no, dude, you don't have to pretend to be straight around us." 

They thanked the halfling again. As they watched him leave, Taako noticed he had a wand in his back pocket--or, really, more like a twig with a point carved on the end. Reminded Taako of the makeshift wands he and Lup would use before they had enough money to buy good ones. They couldn't do high level spells too well, but it was fine for anything fourth level or below. They broke after a few uses, too, but it worked in a pinch. Maybe this halfling was in a pinch, too?

He considered casting Locate Object again, but found that he had run out of spell slots.

Instead, he called Lup to tell her the information he got and had Kravitz cut a rift to Magnus' house. 

* * *

Now they had almost all of Angus' belongings. His butter knife, his Caleb Cleveland book, his wand, his shoes, most of his clothes ( _hopefully_ he stole or bought something to wear), and Magnus' grandfather's knife. But no Angus.

They didn't find his mini-crossbow, which,  _good--_ at least the kid could defend himself. They didn't find his glasses (of  _course);_ he wouldn't get very far without them. They didn't find Taako's journal. Again, good. It was the only point of contact they had with Angus, and even if he wasn't answering back, Taako kept writing increasingly desperate pleas into it. Hopefully Angus read them. Or hopefully not? Some of the shit he wrote was embarrassing. 

But it was  _fine,_ because they had a  _lead._

Or maybe they didn't?

That halfling said that Angus was headed towards Rockport. There were three roads to Rockport, and they couldn't catch Angus at any of them. Also, Kravitz, Barry, and Lup  _swore_ that his soul cloud was going in the opposite direction. Maybe Angus was lost? He was pretty good with directions, though, and he  _knew_ where Rockport was. 

It took a good half an hour before they decided to follow the soul cloud instead of the halfling's lead. Maybe Angus changed his mind? Maybe he asked the halfling to lie to Taako and Kravitz? It wasn't entirely clear. 

Kravitz, Lup, and Barry technically didn't need sleep. The three volunteered to search for Angus all night, while Taako meditated and Magnus slept. Carey, Killian, and Lucretia offered to join the search in the morning, and would spend the night recruiting other Bureau members for the search. 

They'd get Angus. Not only would they find Angus, but they would find Angus  _before_ Violet or the militia could. It was only a matter of time.

Before he went into his trance, Taako dipped his pen into ink and wrote one last note to Angus.

_comin' to get you, pumpkin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit of a shorter chapter today, folks! i wanted to get *something* out, because ya'll seemed antsy in the comments last time and I didn't want to leave you hanging *too* long. 
> 
> I ALSO WANT TO STRESS THIS AGAIN: I'M NOT MURDERING ANGUS AND THIS WON'T END IN TRAGEDY. there may be bumps, but I SWEAR, the end is SATISFYING and it's WORTH IT. 
> 
> thanks to everyone for reading and commenting!
> 
> next chapter, angus is on the road!!


	22. Angus on the Road (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus runs away, settles down, and runs away all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: nothing bloody or horrible happens, but...uhhh, angus makes Bad Choices. the most upsetting thing that happens in this chapter is early-industrial era child labor?

Angus waited until Taako and Kravitz stepped through their rift before taking down his Disguise Self spell. He _really_ had to practice acting like an adult; if Taako didn't mistake him for a guy pretending to be straight, he would have been found out pretty quick. It was good that Taako had shitty perception and insight. Angus worried that Kravitz would figure him out, but he seemed frazzled and distracted. Maybe he rolled badly. Honestly, it was good that Kravitz was there--it confirmed one of his suspicions. He didn't recognize Angus or his soul by standing in front of him. That would be helpful in case he accidentally ran into them again.

Hopefully he wouldn't. That whole exchange almost broke his heart.

He took another minute after that, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. Angus had lost his good clothes (the secondhand store was a lifesaver), his good wand (now, he used a carved twig--that's what Taako's journal suggested), and the knife Magnus gave him. It was a good thing Locate Object had such a short range. It meant Angus would only lose items today. Once he was far enough away, they wouldn't be able to cast the spell accurately. He still had his mini-crossbow, his glasses, and the journal--which had new messages on the communications page every time Angus checked. One in particular stood out.

_comin' to get you, pumpkin._

Oh, if only.

There wasn't any way to salvage the trial. Angus knew that. Maybe he could have waited until Taako sued Violet and stayed at her house until _that_ trial finished, but...that would mean spending up to a year at Violet's house. That wasn't an option. Angus tried his best not to write a response, but accidentally left a line of ink on the communications page. _Fuck,_ now they knew he was reading all the messages. He wondered if Taako had some way of triangulating Angus' location if he wrote anything more in the book. He would have to be more careful.

He put on another Disguise Self; made himself look like a blonde human girl, same age as he was. Too hard to act like an adult. He tried his best to make himself look middle class--nothing too fancy, nothing too poverty-stricken. He wanted to blend in. This would be his last spell slot of the day, and he had to make it count. It would be over if he looked like Angus McDonald in the middle of Goldcliff. The militia was everywhere, and it would only be a matter of time before he was found. He had to get out of town, _fast--_ he didn't know how long it would take Taako to check the roads. As soon as Barry, Lup, or Kravitz noticed that his scattered soul map traveling in the opposite direction than what they were expecting, they would start checking the other roads. 

The halfling told Taako that he was headed north, towards Rockport.

So he went south.

Angus didn't remember what was south of Goldcliff, but getting a map here would complicate things. He'd wait until the next town over. He'd also wait until the next town to come up with his long-term plan. Right now, he needed to throw Taako off his trail. If he could just throw him off for two days, get as much distance as possible, it would be nearly impossible for him to pick up the trail again. Missing person cases were more likely to be solved early on, so once Angus got out of that window of time, he was golden.

He didn't have a problem sneaking past the city gates. The guards were inattentive and bored--Angus figured it wouldn't be too difficult to scare both of them out of their posts. All it took was one crossbow bolt to the wall, and both guards ran to inspect it. Angus slipped right past in their confusion. Too easy. Hopefully Angus wouldn't be _that_ gullible when he got older.

Outside the city, things were normal. Battlewagon races ripped out a half mile away. Good thing he didn't get out on the main track; Angus was a little too tired to dodge an entire stadium of people. The sun was setting, and it was about to get really dark and really cold. He needed to secure travel out of the city, something discreet and quick. A merchant with a colorful caravan and two mules sat right outside the wall, in plain sight. Probably didn't want to pay parking fees inside the city. Angus thought about asking him to let him on the caravan, but he didn't look incredibly wealthy. He'd want some kind of payment. Angus' only other alternative was walking. That would take _forever,_ he knew, and he didn't have the supplies to walk out all on his own.

It took a pretty high perception check to spot (would have been easier if he had darkvision), but he saw a bandit cart just past a sandy rock formation. Sneaky, cool--out of sight. It was a _little_ unnerving, though, because other kids were on that cart. Kids with roped handcuffs. These bandits looked like they were taking kids out of the city to...oh, no, Angus didn't even want to think about _why_ these bandits stole kids. The good thing about these bandits, though, were how _dumb_ they seemed. The cuffs on the children weren't tied properly, and they'd probably be able to step out of them if they weren't so frightened. It could have been a good idea to get "kidnapped," break out of the cuffs, and then run for it once the cart stopped in another city.

The question was, did Angus want to risk traveling in such an unsafe way?

He had to think fast; he heard some militia members questioning the guards on the other end of the wall. Word of his disappearance must have reached farther than just Magnus, Taako, and the rest of the family. _Great--_ if getting caught by Taako was bad, getting caught by Violet would be exponentially worse. Walking was out of the picture--he needed out, _now._ It would take _time_ to convince the merchant to let him on the caravan, and probably a few gold, too. Angus needed to make this money last as long as possible. But, also, he didn't want to be a prisoner on a bandit's cart. Even if it looked like they were tying cuffs wrong, there was a chance he couldn't get out of them in time to run away. It wasn't safe. Still, it was free, and he'd have a chance to save the rest of those kids, and the bandits would probably stay off of heavily trafficked roads...

Well, Angus wouldn't get very far if he confined himself to "safe" methods of travel.

So, he stood right at the edge of the bandits' field of vision. A distracted little kid was pretty good bait, he thought, for whatever horrible things these assholes were getting up to. It didn't take more than a minute for a strong hand to grab his arm and cuff it. Thankfully, this bandit _was_ as stupid as he looked--cuffed his arm too loose. Angus would be able to get out pretty easy. He'd also be able to help the other kids out, which was a plus.

Angus let himself get shoved into the caravan, watched Goldcliff shrink in view, and fell asleep.

* * *

Even if he didn't sleep too well, the ride allowed Angus to replenish his spell slots. He wouldn't need to cast his soul spell again for another six days, but it would be really nice to have the extra slots in case of an emergency. He might need Disguise Self if Taako found him. He might need Clairvoyance or Arcane Eye to watch his back. 

When Angus' Disguise Self dissipated, the other kids were more impressed than frightened. Which, _good._ They were paying attention now, not sitting sadly in the back of the caravan, waiting for something bad to happen to them. No, Angus promised he'd get them out. Out and safe. He led them through the procedure of getting the cuffs off, something he learned in the little bit of mandatory militia training he took to become a detective. It was easy to slide out of them.

But not yet.

They kept the cuffs on, in case the drivers came to check on them before the cart stopped.

So, as they waited, they passed the time talking.

Each had their own story. Most ran away from home. The rest were orphans. Some had been doing this their whole life and some started last week. Some, like Angus, figured out how _dumb_ these bandits were and used them as an easy ride out of town. These kids were more practiced at running away than Angus. They knew Thieves' Cant and lockpicking, how to fake an injury to get free lodging at a temple, how to start fires and pretend it wasn't their fault. They told Angus to pick a skill and get good at it.

He told the other kids about his situation, and didn't worry about them snitching to the authorities. These kids were all in the same boat. They knew. It didn't matter if Taako from _TV_ was involved--they didn't trust any adults to fix what went wrong, no matter their power. They congratulated Angus for his bravery. And then, Angus took out the journal, gave out tips from Taako's past. Didn't disclose information that might embarrass him, only focusing on the bits that would help these kids. They all learned how to cheat at street gambling, did a few practice rounds on each other. Learned to use their age to their advantage.

It was nice to talk to kids his age, even under these circumstances.

When the caravan stopped, they had a plan.

The children acted quickly.

Took the bandits completely by surprise. They were expecting to find ten children tied up nice in the back of their caravan, but were greeted by ten children running out at full speed. Thanks to Angus' directions, none were caught. They ran into the brush and waited for the bandits to leave. Angus received a lot of hurried _thank-yous_ and chants of freedom before they all split up. Two of them were siblings. Three were in a group. The rest were alone, like Angus, and offered to travel together. But Angus needed to be as stealthy as possible; he had no idea when he'd run into Taako again.

The rest of the kids understood.

One of them taught Angus what he knew of Thieves' Cant.

Another one taught Angus how she begged for copper coins.

A third one taught Angus how to start a fire.

Angus wished he could do more for them than a hurried magic lesson and quick words of thanks. Some of them were _really_ good at magic. Angus wished he could have gone to school with them. They could have been _amazing._

But life gets in the way.

So they separated.

The hardest thing for Angus was the money. He didn't have a lot of it, and he learned quickly that he _needed_ a lot of it. Food cost about two silver a day. A room at an inn was one gold. That added up fast. Although, he had gotten four gold pieces from Taako. He didn't think it would work, honestly--he knew Taako to be pretty stingy. Angus was lucky he was so distracted, or else he might not have gotten anything. Not that four gold was _good--_ wouldn't last him a week--but four gold was more than the ten silver he kept in his pocket. That would be enough to get him food and lodging for...maybe, three days? Maybe it would be better if he slept outside, he'd be able to stretch his money for a lot longer that way.

So he slept outside, and he begged on the street, and he didn't steal anything yet. Sleeping outside didn't bother him much. Moss was soft. He cast magic wards to stop wolves or bandits from harming him. Begging bothered him more. Angus was used to being pretty self-reliant, and this felt...wrong. He _had_ the talent and the skill to earn his own money, but that was child labor. He hadn't found anyone willing to hire children.

But life was fine. Angus wasn't thriving, but he was surviving. That's all that really mattered. Every once in a while, he'd pass by one of the kids from earlier. They'd point to a baker that felt bad for orphans and gave out free bread. Angus would point them towards a good camping spot. Turned out there was a whole network of children running off from home, and most of them knew each other. Sometimes, a kid Angus didn't know came up and thanked him for freeing their friend from the bandits, and laid a copper or two in his hands.

Angus never accepted the money. Too proud of himself. Too worried the kids would die without it.

And then, Angus spent his last silver coin on food.

It took four days. Angus thought it would last more than that. He kept having to spend money, and didn't have a good way of getting any money back. Angus felt queasy at the idea of having to steal, but starving was even worse. He didn't want to steal from anybody that looked poor, that would just be screwing someone _else_ over. He didn't want to steal from anybody too rich, because if he was caught they might do something horrible to him. Angus watched people walk by in town and wondered who he'd take money from first. The merchants would be best. They wouldn't notice, and they had enough of it anyway. But they were probably targeted a lot, and knew how to keep their money locked up. Angus wasn't good at picking locks. Alright, fine--maybe the general store owner? That way, Angus wouldn't have to spend stolen money, he could steal supplies straight from the source.

Yeah, the general store would work.

He didn't have much of a plan, so he sat across the street from the general store for about an hour, watching the store owner's movements. The owner was older, alone, and had a limp on his right leg, so there were already a lot of options. He ran through a few scenarios in his head. Wait until there were more customers inside and use them as a distraction? Strike up a conversation with him and steal things right from under his nose? Get in and out of the store without him even noticing? He wouldn't steal a lot, just enough to get him to the next town. The plan didn't need to be elaborate. This wasn't a heist.

Just as Angus stood up to do the deed, two people walked into the store.

Lup practically _dragged_ her brother inside. Even after five days of searching, she didn't look physically exhausted at all. Made sense, she was dead. But she _did_ look emotionally tired. There was a glazed look behind her eyes, as if she was looking through frosted glass. He coudln't tell if that had to do with Angus' spell affecting her reaper sight or if she was just upset. 

Taako looked like he was going to collapse. He gripped Lup tight, never letting her move more than a couple feet away. Looked  _wrecked--_ bags under his eyes, hair all messed up, slouching so far down his arms could touch the floor. He was sharper than Lup, though, ears high and eyes searching. Taako was on high alert, trying to find any signs of Angus. It would be difficult to slip past him.

And, nope, nope, Angus couldn't steal from _this_ store anymore. He had to leave town _now._ There was _no way_ he would let himself get caught after making it this far. Angus made himself look like a little girl again, and walked past the twins, nope, not even a little eye contact.

"Hey, kid--" _Shit._ Lup situated herself right in front of Angus, with barely any warning. Taako followed close behind. "We're looking for a lost kid, you see anything suspicious?"

Angus _really_ wasn't in the mood to lie to Taako again. He needed to get out of this town, quick, and lose Taako's trail again. But...maybe this was a good opportunity to throw them off even further? He remembered the missing person cases he worked on when he was a detective. Nothing threw off a missing person case like adding higher stakes.

So, without any prompting, Angus burst into tears.

(Fake ones. Mostly fake.)

"Hey, hey, oh, _shit--_ " Taako held his hands out, palms towards Angus, eyes darting between him and Lup. "Uh, what's...up?"

"I'm--I'm so s-sorry, I--I just--" The tears fell out faster and harder than he wanted, but it seemed to capture the twins' attention. "I lost someone, t-too, and, I-I can't find her..."

"Uh..." The twins shared a look, and then Lup asked, "Who're you missing, sweetheart?"

"M--my--my, my s--sist--sister..." Angus sniffled, pulling at the edge of his dress. "She's, she's my twin..."

Both the twins went tense, like a string pulled taut.

Bingo.

Taako yanked Lup off to the side to speak to her. Angus didn't understand Elvish, but he could tell from their tone of voice that this distressed the both of them. Both seemed to want to help, but Taako was slightly more reluctant. At least, he was until Lup said Angus' name. He was  _more_ than on board after that. 

"Listen." Lup knelt in front of Angus. She was calm now, or at least _acted_ calm. "We'll, uh. We'll look for her too, while we're looking for our guy. Can you help us out with that?"

Angus nodded. "Wh-what does he look like?"

"Like this," Taako said, and held out a drawing of Angus. It was one of Lucretia's. Guess she was helping out, too.

"Ye-yeah, I saw that kid. He--he went into the sewers, there's a path out of to-town there. It's--it's h-hidden, but, y-you can find it if you look h-hard enough..." Angus wasn't sure if there  _was_ a secret path out of town from the sewers. It would be great if he could get the two of them lost in the sewers for a few hours. "That's wh-where my sis-sister fell, but, I can't...get down to r-reach her."

Lup sighed. "Alright, uh. Thanks, we'll--we can call out to her, too. What's her name?"

"She's--" Angus wanted to complicate this as much as possible. Really get these two looking for a fake child. "M-my sister, she's, um, she can't h-hear, and...I'm--I'm usually the one, that, tha--that helps with that."

_"Fuck,"_ Taako cursed under his breath, "Alright. Alright, fine, we can--check corners and shit. Whatever."

"She m-might be hurt..." Angus let out another sob. 

"We'll handle it, kid." Lup stood up, pulling Taako with her. "We should get going. Uh...where'll you be?"

"In, um, in the general store." Angus dried his tears on his sleeve. "Th-thank you..."

"It's--whatever, we were going down there anyway." Taako tugged on Lup's arm, towards the nearest manhole. "C'mon, let's get this grody show on the road."

Lup stood there for a moment, watching Angus intensely. He worried she was going to find him out--poke some hole in his Disguise Self spell, or figure him out. But she softened and asked, "You're identical?"

"Yeah," Angus said, shoulders to his ears.

She stared at his (fake) face for a few long moments. "Alright. Thanks, kid."

The twins muttered to each other the whole way down into the manhole. He waited for them to get all the way in before wandering off. He wasn't going to wait until they Angus walked into the general store and talked up the owner until his pockets were filled with supplies. He rushed out before the old man knew what was happening, and then ran all the way out of the city. His Disguise Self dropped as soon as he left, and he wondered if he would have to reapply it soon. If he'd ever see them again.

He wondered if they were still looking for his "twin."

Then, he stopped wondering. That wouldn't do him any good. If he was lucky, Angus wouldn't see them for another seven years. Maybe he wouldn't ever see them again--he wasn't sure if they would remember or care about him once that time ran out. Of course, he'd try to look for them once he turned eighteen. He wouldn't try very  _hard--_ if they wanted to see him again, they'd make it easy for him to find. Angus didn't want to throw himself on them if that's not what they wanted.  

He hoped they'd want to see them again.

* * *

Things became easier after the first week passed.

Angus didn't have trouble reapplying the soul dispersion spell. Briefly, he worried that he would be found in the small window of time between dropping the spell and reapplying it. It wouldn't send a beacon out to any bounty hunters, but if they were actively looking for him in that time, he would have been found. Thankfully, it was only about a thirty-second window, and Angus dropped the spell an hour before it ran out. They didn't know the exact time he put the spell on in the first place. If Kravitz, Lup, or Barry were watching, they would watch carefully around the time Angus disappeared--but if he dropped the spell early enough, he hoped they wouldn't be looking. And they weren't. Nobody came to take him through a portal. They didn't know where he was. Angus let out a sigh of relief and kept walking.

Money was...fine. He lived silver to silver, and took more money out of pockets than he ever made begging. It wasn't pleasant. He hated stealing. Angus found that adults were distracted most of the time--absorbed in a job, personal matters, things that children didn't have to worry about. This was the perfect time to take and steal. Angus tried his best not to take more than was needed, and learned that people didn't notice that they've been stolen from if it's only a couple coppers or a silver. He felt better taking from merchants and well-dressed people, too.

But taking still felt _bad._ He missed having a job. He tried to convince some adults that he was a very good thinker and a wizard (he steered clear from calling himself a _detective_ because he would be so, so easily found), but adults kind of sneered at him when he said that. It was impossible to hold Disguise Self for an entire workday, and he couldn't pretend to be an adult with how young he looked naturally.

And then, Angus found the mill.

It was hidden away in the city of Kepler, surrounded by huge swaths of forest. A textile mill--after the Story, it focused a lot on denim production. Denim became one of the most popular material choices overnight, and this was one of the few mills that struggled to keep up with that new demand. The town was large, but dense--entire place fit into Angus' two mile radius with room to spare. A small percentage of the population lived in houses; most stayed in the camp right outside the textile mill. That's what kept the entire city alive, really. The people of Kepler were strange, cut off from society. Nobody knew who the fuck Angus McDonald was, and even though Angus never gave his real name out, that was _great!_ It was the perfect place to hide out, he thought. This place could sustain him until he was eighteen.

The mill's boss was a comically villainous dude with a cigar and a permanent cloud of smoke around his head. Kepler didn't have a mayor or a governor, and it felt like he ran the entire city. Handlebar moustache, mid-fifties, monocle. He had this shitty toupee that didn't match up with his hairline and a tweed suit. His jewelry wasn't cheap, but that was the only expensive thing about him. Maybe he _used_ to have money, and it all dried up. That would make sense; the man never said his name, as if he'd be caught if he did. Angus felt like yawning; this guy was a _clown._ But he was a clown that employed children at a textile mill, and Angus signed right the _fuck up._

It was low-skill work. Easy for a smart kid like Angus.

Every once in a while, Angus would see a glimpse of Lup, Barry, or Kravitz. He ducked out or cast a disguise spell, didn't catch their attention even a little bit. The other kids at the mill were sympathetic to his situation, and never snitched. The adults didn't say a word, either; nobody wanted to get caught employing children. As the days and weeks went on, he saw less of the reapers. Never saw any of the others, either. This place _was_ really far out, it must have been too inconvenient for the rest to search around.

A perfect hideout, then.

The camp's beds were shitty, but they were beds. The food tasted horrible, but it was food. The working hours were grueling, but it was steady. The work was dangerous, but it was simple. The city was weird, but it was home. Kind of.

There was one thing that was out of place, here.

The guy that ran the loom.

He seemed oddly familiar to Angus. Something out of a distant memory. It hurt to look at him sometimes because he had the same eyes as Violet, the same curve of her nose. But he had a brighter smile and everything about him was warmer than Violet, less callous and cruel. Young--early 20s. A hollowness in his cheeks that hinted at a childhood of running. Would Angus get that, too? Angus caught the man staring at him, sometimes, but then they would both look away quick.

Once, the loom operator lost a bolt in between the delicate machinery. The manager told Angus to fish it out with his tiny hands. Angus felt like he was being watched the whole time. And, sure, he was--the operator needed to make sure he was doing his job correctly. 

"What's your name, kid?" asked the operator, after a long stretch of silence.

"Diddly," Angus said, because that was the name he put on his application.

"No, I mean--" He paused, checking to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. "What's your _name?_   Like, your real name, that isn't fake?"

Angus' cheeks burned and he asked, "Was it that obvious?"

"Not at all. I just--I feel like I've seen you before? And not here."

Angus thought for a very long time before answering. "It's Angus."

The operator sucked in a breath. "McDonald?"

"Wh--yes, how did you--"

"I had a baby cousin named Angus." He spoke in a rush, barely above a whisper. "I ran away from home when I was little, though."

"I had an older cousin! I don't, really, remember much about them, I was pretty young when they left."  Angus found the bolt and handed it up to his cousin. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name. Violet never--mentioned you again."

"Even if you remembered it, it was probably wrong," he said, slouching. "It's Chuck."

"Well...it's nice to meet you again!" Angus smiled. 

"Same to you, Angus." Chuck smiled back, and then his expression shifted to something more confused. "Didn't you get whisked away by the wizard that makes too many dick jokes? From the Story?"

"Ye-yeah, it was a real Fantasy-Annie situation." Angus sighed. "But, you know..."

"Ugh, _mother."_  Chuck shrugged. "Ruins every good thing?"

"I didn't realize how bad it was until I went to the moon!"

"Right? Even this dump is better than getting bossed around by her."

Even though Angus found the bolt and finished his job, the two stayed together to talk for longer. Chuck "accidentally" dropped a couple more bolts in the loom so the manager wouldn't notice them slacking. Eventually, though, their conversation was cut short by the manager whisking Angus off to do another job. They waved each other goodbye, big smiles on both faces.

At the end of the workday, Chuck approached Angus.

"You're staying in the camp, Angus?" Chuck asked once he saw Angus walking towards the camp. "Why don't--uh, I got a place out with a couple friends, why don't you come stay with us instead?"

And he did.

Things were alright, for a while.

The work wasn't fun, but it was mundane and easy. Angus got weird calluses on his fingers and got a mark on the back of his left hand where a searing band whipped out of line and branded him. Most of the adults had white lines all over their hands, so he accepted that pretty quick. He'd get a day off whenever a labor inspector would come by, wore gloves so the officers wouldn't suspect that he worked there.

He made friends his age. The other kids that worked in the mill were just as desperate as Angus, for different reasons. They shared stories--Angus' always stood out the most. He was popular, probably because of his first-hand stories of the heroes from the Story. He was never asked why he left that life. It was implied. Angus heard playground-style rumors that a couple of the other kids had a crush on him--his face burned and he denied any involvement when asked. 

Chuck made a good guardian. He didn't know how to cook, but most of his roommates did. They all lived together--five people, splitting the tiny house equally. Angus had to sleep in the same bed as his cousin, but it was nice not to be alone. It was nice to have something that resembled a family. Chuck and Angus swapped stories about Violet, and Angus told him everything about the trial. Chuck seemed  _a little_ reluctant to keep Angus in Kepler, but he wasn't calling Taako or the police, and that was good enough. 

The mill owner was rumored to have been royalty before he came to set up shop in Kepler. Someone said he killed seventy-six people in a frenzied act of revenge. Another person said he got beat up by a bunch of country bumpkins. Someone else corrected them; no, it wasn't a city, was it? It was an artisan's guild? Nobody knew the exact details, but they knew the owner was bad. Nobody who employed children were good. 

The people of Kepler eventually learned that Diddly's real name was Angus, but accepted him all the same. Everyone in Kepler was running from  _something--_ nobody felt like ratting him out. Everyone had their reasons, right? They called Kepler the city of Amnesty; no matter where a person's from, or what they've done, they're safe in Kepler. Nobody snitched. They just...lived, together, with their collective sins and guilt. 

Kepler wasn't perfect, but it was pretty great.

* * *

Angus worked there for a month.

_A month--_ he had been running for a month. And it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be! He had a (kind of) family and a (kind of) job and some (kind of) friends. 

Then, some _fucking_ do-gooders came and rained all over that parade.

Okay, maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Maybe child labor laws were a _good thing,_ for the whole of society. Maybe it was good that the shitty mill owner was thrown out-- _he had killed seventy-six people!--_ But Angus needed that job, no matter how shitty it was. That's why Kepler was so  _perfect!_ Nobody cared about Angus' past, present, or future. He could make a living. Even if it was illegal, it was so much better than  _stealing._ But, now, a new mayor was in, and he was  _very_ interested in keeping the children safe and learning who their parents were. 

Angus stayed with Chuck for two more days before news spread. 

He put a magic sensor on the door, just in case. Within an hour, Magnus was at Chuck's door, and Angus was out the window and into the woods before anyone noticed.

So much for Kepler. 

It _sucked,_ because he was with family and friends that _liked_ him. But Chuck was already questioning Angus' choices, because _fuck adults,_ and he wasn't going to stick around to see Chuck throw him back into the arms of a justice system that didn't know the meaning of their namesake.

Angus walked into the forest. 

There wasn't much for transportation, so he'd have to walk the whole way through. Good news, it was a dense forest, and it would be tough to be found. But, more importantly, Angus didn't know what to  _do_ now. He was lucky to find Kepler. Where would another place like  _that_ be? He could just...go back to stealing? But that was dishonest and it made Angus' stomach turn. Except, Angus needed to  _eat_ and survive. He could survive a little bit of guilt, couldn't he?

He walked for half an hour before he saw the old boss of the textile mill sitting on a stump.

Still had that cloud of cigar smoke all around his head, but he changed clothes and his shitty toupee was ripped off. Once he saw Angus, he grumbled some curse to himself. Angus thought about walking straight past, but...if this guy employed children  _before,_ maybe would have something open now.

"Hello, sir," Angus said, mustering up some cheer, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You're one of the brats from the mill," he said, shaking his cigar. "Whaddya want? Already got free, didn't you?"

"Well, I'm in, uh, a bit of a pickle." Angus sat himself in front of the stump. "I actually didn't want to stop working for the mill. It was a pretty nice job! And, uh, if you're willing to employ someone my age for hard labor, I thought there'd be a good chance you'd hire me again."

The man grit his teeth. "You calling me dishonest?"

"I'm not sure what else to call it," Angus said, hands on his hips, "But I'm a little strapped for cash, and I'd like to extend my services to you!"

"What services?"

"I'm a detective, sir. I could...figure something out for you, if you wanted?"

The man laughed.

Angus puffed his cheeks out. "I'm serious."

"Fuck, kid, you think I'll just...believe you?" 

"Do you have any other options?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

The man laughed again, and then coughed all the smoke out of his lungs. "Fine," he said, coughing, "Guess there's no harm in...fuckin', trying. Worse comes to worse, I can always use you as  _bait."_   He grinned. It bore a hole in Angus' stomach.

"It won't come to that, sir." Angus stuck his nose in the air. "But I expect to be paid."

"You'll get paid if you do what I say, and you do it correctly," the man said, blowing out more smoke. He heaved his heavy ass off the stump. 

"What sort of work would you want done?"

"Revenge," he said, without any hesitation. "I'm still--thinkin', through the plan, but. You know, it's gotta--it's gotta be big."

Angus nodded. "I could...help you come up with something?"

The man nodded and scratched his chin. "Yeah. We'll talk shop on the road. What's your name, kid?"

Angus scrunched his nose up. After working for this asshole for a _month,_ he'd think he'd remember his name. Or. His fake name. "It's Diddly, sir!"

"That's unfortunate," the man said, disgusted. Immediately after, he brightened up and extended a hand to Angus. "But I think we'll make good partners, you and me!" The two shook hands. He picked up a travel bag and started walking, gesturing for Angus to follow him.

"I never caught your name, sir." Angus trotted along behind the man.

"Guess not." He suffocated his cigar and threw it behind him, without concern for forest fires. "It's Kalen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!  
> (i'm not ready to rumble)  
> also, I got a new job!! it's great!! what this means for me: i'm financially stable and the quality of my work will be WAY WAY better now that i'm not worrying 24/7. what this means for you: uhhhhhhh this job has a steep learning curve and updates might be slowed for a few weeks while I adjust.  
> next time. um. it might be hard to see where this is going, but it's not going anywhere good!


	23. Angus On The Road (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus enlists some help, does some corpse-robbing, and gets deep in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: there's some violence in this chapter, but none of it gets worse than what happens in canon! (there's one death and a knife wound in this chapter, to give a more specific warning)

"I think that's nightshade, sir."

Kalen squinted at the berries, letting them roll around in his hands. Some of the berry's goo stained his palms as he rolled them around. "You sure, kid?"

"No," Angus said. He poked at the berry bush suspiciously. "But even if they aren't nightshade, there's a high chance they're still poison."

He prodded at one of the berries, with the same look on his face that all adults got when they didn't believe Angus. "I think you're wrong."

"You really want to risk that?" he asked, raising his brows.

"Fine." Kalen held out his hand full of (maybe?) poison berries right in Angus' face. "You eat it."

Angus ducked his head out of the way of Kalen's hand. "Why would I eat it if I think it's _poison?"_

"I hired you for revenge, kid, and it would be bad if I died before I got to do that, right? So you've gotta test the berries." The weird way Kalen screwed logic into something that worked in his favor reminded Angus of Taako. Just a little bit. The biggest difference was that Angus was _pretty sure_ Kalen was the type of dude to tie women to railroads as a train approached. Kalen shoved his hand in Angus' face again.

This time, Angus pushed away the hand. "I'm not the one that thinks they're safe, the burden of proof is on you."

"But I'm the one that hired you, and as your _boss_ I'm saying you're the poison tester. So eat it."  Kalen refused to kneel down to be at Angus' level, and looked down on him condescendingly. "Unless you can _prove_ it's poison without eating it?"

Angus opened his mouth to argue, but then Taako's journal suddenly felt heavier in his bag. "I do, but I'd rather not use that resource."

Kalen used his entire adult form to corner Angus, the berries once again shoved right in his face. "Fine, then just--"

 _"Fuck off,_ sir!" Angus kicked Kalen in the torso, more to spring away from him than to do any actual damage. He took Taako's journal out of his bag. "Fine, fine, give me a _second."_   For a minute, Angus thumbed through the journal. Hopefully Taako had some notes on poison.

Bad news: whatever planet Taako grew up on didn't have the same plants as Faerun.

Angus cursed to himself and flipped to the communications page. It was filled with the usual; comments from everyone pleading Angus to drop the spell and come back. Angus didn't like reading these on a daily basis. He didn't feel _guilty,_ really, but he did feel sad that he was causing all this panic. As time went on, these pleas became more erratic and desperate. Today, Magnus promised to get Angus a puppy, which Taako crossed out and replaced with _NO DOGS IN MY HOUSE._

He chuckled at that, a little, and found a blank spot where he could fit in his own writing. It was a tight fit--everyone in the BOB seemed to have left a message today.

_Please don't think I'm reaching out, but I need to confirm something?_

_Sorry to be a bother._

Angus didn't have to wait long for an answer. The page cleared itself of all the word clutter and a new line of writing appeared at the top.

_angus DROP THE SPELL, you DUMBASS_

The handwriting was shaky and rushed, but Angus knew who this was. He felt bad, but...he'd rather cause a little distress in Taako by asking than cause _more_ distress dying from nightshade.

_Hello, sir. Please, I'm not here to discuss my disappearance, I have a question._

_i know you're in some bum-fuck forest but i WILL get lup over there to kick your ass_

_it's been A MONTH, angus_

_I know, I'm sorry. I'll come back when I'm eighteen._

_you're going to KILL me_

_Sir, can you shut the fuck up and help me identify this berry? This man I'm traveling with is forcing me to eat it if I can't identify it._

_...................i'll tell you if you answer a question for me_

_just, uh_

_draw it?_

Angus walked over and examined the berry bush. He wasn't a very good artist, but berries were just circles with bits of leaves on the ends, right? Angus spent a good amount of time trying to draw it, keeping it as accurate as possible. He even drew a bit of the bush around it, just in case the number of leaves was important in identifying it. Beside the picture, he also gave a detailed description of the colors. Kalen looked impatient as Angus waited for an answer, but he could wait a little while longer--what's his alternative? Eat these (probably) dangerous berries?

Thankfully, Taako identified the berries pretty quick.

_that's FUCKING NIGHTSHADE_

_DO NOT EAT_

_ANGUS MCDONALD I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU EAT THAT_

"I was right, sir!" Angus smiled, smug. "It's nightshade."

Kalen took the journal out of his hands and read it, still unsure. Instead of asking about the berries, or who was on the other end of this magic journal, he asked, "Who's Angus McDonald?"

"Um." Angus' eyes flashed wide open, but he stumbled out a halfway-convincing explanation. "That's the fake name I give out to people."

"Huh." Kalen didn't look like he believed Angus, but he also didn't press the subject farther. He dropped the book back into the boy's hands. "Fine, we can find something else to eat. Let's go."

Angus looked back down at the page, which was full of thirty different warnings and explanations of why he shouldn't be eating nightshade. Kalen, already twenty feet ahead, wasn't waiting up for him. Angus wrote as he walked, making sure not to run into a tree or trip over a root in the process.

_I didn't eat them. Thank you for the clarification._

_okay. whooboy. fuckin' stellar, great, dont scare me like that_

_now i get to ask you something_

_I never agreed to those terms._

_ANGUS_

_Sorry, sir!_

He shut the journal and stuffed it back into his bag before Taako could convince him to write more. Funny how that conversation was almost enough to make Angus drop this whole thing and run back to Goldcliff.

But, no.

Not now.

The two walked together for another hour. With all the traveling Angus had done, the dull pain in his legs and back didn't even register in his mind. The forest was dense and thick, and Kalen was just as concerned with staying off the roads as Angus was. He briefly wondered what Kalen did to warrant all this stealth, but the thought turned his stomach inside out. Something told Angus that he wasn't on the run for _good_ reasons. At least Kalen didn't ask about the man in the journal, and also didn't ask anything more about Angus McDonald. He didn't ask much of anything, really; didn't give two shits about Angus. Or, Diddly. It didn't matter. They walked in silence, for the most part.

Which ended up being a good thing when they started hearing voices deeper in the forest.

At first, it was quiet. Barely noticeable. But the more they walked, the closer the voices got. They seemed urgent, searching for something. Angus hoped it wasn't who he thought it was. But, knowing his luck...

They couldn't pick out individual words until a gruff, but still soft voice asked, "Are you sure it was nightshade?"

A second voice answered. "I _swear_ it was nightshade, I mean, kid's no artist, but it's pretty hard to mistake--"

The same gruff voice came back. _"Blackberries,_ Taako, it could have been blackberries--"

"No, _look_ at this fucking drawing." A shuffling of papers, and a few whispers of disagreement. "Look, if we find nightshade, we find Angus, that's--he couldn't have gone far."

_Fuck._

It looked like they weren't able to find Angus' location based on the communications page, which...that was good. Probably. Angus thought he should chuck the journal far away, in case one of them decided to use Locate Object. In fact, that's exactly what he did. He threw it as far as he could. It landed in a bush about ten feet away. Kalen looked down at him suspiciously, but didn't question it at all.

Nobody seemed to be casting it, but.

Better safe than sorry.

The voices were getting closer, and Angus could identify them more accurately now. "I don't--I still don't think it's nightshade," said a voice he could pick out as Magnus.

He heard Lup. "How would you know?"

Magnus didn't respond to that.

"It's definitely nightshade," said...Merle? _Oh, shit, they got Merle to come with them._

"See, Pan's biggest mistake agrees with me!" That was _definitely_ Taako's voice.

"You only listen to him when he's agreeing with you," Magnus said.

"Yeah? That's our _deal."_  

_"Unfair."_

The voices were closer than ever. Less than twenty feet away. Angus inched himself away from the sound, and Kalen gave him a sideways glance. "Those're...the clowns from the Story, aren't they?"

Angus hesitated, and then nodded his head.

 _"Burnsides,"_ he said, almost like a curse. Angus frowned. He wanted to ask Kalen how he could possibly know _Magnus,_ and why he seemed to hate him so. But before he could, the outline of a wizard's hat came up from behind the brush.

He ducked into some bushes on the opposite side, far away from the voices. Kalen followed him and knelt down next to the bush.

"On the run, kid?"

Angus pouted. "Why _else_ would I ask for _your_ help?"

"Yeah, well, you didn't tell me you were on the run from _birds."_  

"We should _go,"_   Angus whispered, insistent.

"Actually? We shouldn't." Kalen put on a wicked smile, unsheathed his sword. "This is exactly where I need to be."

"What?"

"Revenge, kid, catch up," he said, reaching into the bush to pull Angus out. "Let's go."

"I-- _no!"_ Angus anchored himself deeper into the bush, catching twigs and leaves in his hair.  "I'm not going to hurt them!"

"That's what I hired you for." He pulled harder.

"I'm not--a goddamn-- _I'm not a hired sword, sir,"_ Angus hissed out, still trying to keep as quiet as possible. "I meant, I could help with things like  _strategizing._ I don't know how to fight!" He sank lower into the bush. "And--that's my family, I can't do anything to harm them."

Kalen _tsked._ "What kinda family lets a kid do hard labor for a month without noticing?"

Angus grinned, guilty. "I'm very good at hiding, sir."

He shrugged. "Or they're not lookin' very hard."

Angus didn't have an answer for that.

Giving up on Angus, Kalen stood back up and walked towards the voices. He slashed his sword through the brush, making a path. The sounds of the voices got louder, now that the wall of brush had a Kalen-shaped hole in it. Angus whispered after him, "You better not do anything to them--"

"Like you can stop me," Kalen said, and then walked past the brush out of Angus' sight.

Angus couldn't see anything, but he'd been in enough bad situations to know that this wasn't ending well. Shadows came through the brush, and every once in a while he could see the outline of someone's head, but nothing more. Magnus seemed to find Kalen first. "Hail and well met, good sir!"

 _"Burnsides,"_  he said, and the sound of sword's iron against a sheath cut through Angus' eardrums.

"Uh, sorry? Who are you?"

"Forgot about me now that you're _famous?"_  He laughed, although there was no humor in it. "You were always kind of a dolt anyway. It's Kal--"

He didn't get to finish his sentence.

"This is for _Julia,"_   said Merle, Taako, and Lup, near at the same time; the words layered over top of each other, but stayed clear. Sounds of magic rang out--three different spells cast at the same time.

And then, Kalen sailed back through the brush, his head knocking against the root of a tree. Blood pooled around the wound, and Kalen didn't move. Not a grisly death, pretty clean, but Angus had to catch a scream from escaping. He didn't want to get caught. He hid himself further in the bush, pulling Kalen's bag with him. He wouldn't need it. 

"Hey, what the _fuck,_ you guys?" asked Magnus, "He barely said two words, why'd you kill him?"

"Don't worry about it, Maggie," said Merle. 

"No, seriously, what the _fuck?"_

"C'mon, Magnus," Lup said, and then her and Magnus' voices got dimmer. Merle and Taako stepped through the brush to check on Kalen.

"Well," Merle said, prodding at the corpse, "He's dead."

"Good." Taako picked some of the jewelry off him. He rummaged through his pockets, but didn't seem to find anything of value. "Least we did _something_ right."

"Do you have to rob _every corpse_ you make?"

"It's not limited to corpses I make, man." Taako stood to his full height and went through the brush, towards Magnus and Lup. "C'mon, this was enough of a detour. Angus is somewhere in here."

"Fine," Merle said, and followed him. They bickered the whole way out.

Angus waited until the voices and footsteps of his family were drowned out by the noises of the forest. He slowly, carefully climbed out of the brush and shook the twigs out of his curls. He'd have to shave his head soon--he didn't have anyone to help braid or twist it. Took a good minute to comb out the debris with his fingers. At least the bush wasn't full of burrs or stickers. Then he'd be combing those out for _days._

He looked down at Kalen's body. In the couple of days Angus traveled with him, he didn't think he deserved a proper burial. Not to mention the near-instant murder he got when he introduced himself. Although, if their attitude during the BOB days were any indication, Taako and Merle were...pretty murderous in the first place. They did a lot of murder, most of the time for no reason. Angus wasn't sure what he thought of that. But maybe it wasn't random? Lup didn't murder at random, at least. The last thing they said to him was _this is for Julia...._

Julia was...Magnus' wife, wasn't she? Why would Taako, Lup and Merle kill Kalen _for Julia,_ and not Magnus? Magnus didn't even seem to know the guy, even though Kalen recognized him on sight. Angus knew this was a mystery, but he'd have to wait until later to solve it. Right now, he needed to carry on the family tradition of corpse-robbing.

Corpses didn't bother Angus too much. He'd seen them before. Picking valuables off of corpses, though? Not as easy.

But, it was a necessity right now.

Taako took the most expensive stuff, but there were still some expensive rings on him. He had a nice pocketwatch, too, but no gold. He took the shortsword in his hands. It would be tough to carry, but it'd be good for selling. And then, there was the bag--full of supplies, and a coin purse of ten gold. Enough to get Angus going for a while. And the rest of the stuff he stole was worth at least twenty gold. Angus let a sigh of relief. He might be able to get through this.

Angus kept walking, in the opposite direction he heard the others leave.

Things would get better soon.

* * *

The next town over was actually a small village. Angus pawned off the rings at a reasonable price, but saved the sword for a town with fighters. He'd get a better deal there. But now, with the money he stole from Kalen's bag and the pawned goods, he had twenty-five gold. A small fortune, for a traveling boy with no home. He was able to eat in an actual restaurant, and _wow--_ food tasted really good when he went so long only eating shitty camp food and field rations. He knew he'd have to buy another wand the next time he found a big town, but that should only set him back five or ten gold. Hopefully he could get a change of clothes, that would only cost a few silvers. Maybe he'd even get to stay in an inn, instead of sleeping on moss and gravel.

But, no. It would be smarter if he saved his money. He didn't know when he'd be able to make more, so it would be best to make this last as long as possible. He would only buy the essentials. 

So he found himself walking the streets.

It wasn't very crowded, especially right before sunset. Small village. Really nice, though--most of the buildings were new. He heard from the locals that they were expanding. Had a bit of a population boom after the not-apocalypse. Or, about to have one. There were a lot of pregnant people, but not any babies yet. Angus' trial didn't last _that_ long. Still long--it was a month until Candlenights.

Oh, no, he was going to miss _Candlenights._

That shouldn't have made him as sad as it did, but. Fine, Angus was still a kid. Things like Candlenights were important to him. Hell, things like Candlenights were important to adults, too. The idea of spending the holiday alone put a bad weight in his stomach, but he tried to ignore it.

And then, he realized that the weight didn't go away, even after ignoring it.

It wasn't Candlenights guilt. It was...more magical than that.

Angus felt a _presence_   following him.

He wasn't sure what it was, but it felt _bad._ He looked around, and nobody else on the streets looked upset. There was only one thing out of place. The woman following him. She wore dreary robes, no jewelry, and carried a big tome, bound in leather. Her eyes were fixed on him, wide, unblinking. _Great._ Figures that some weirdo would follow him as soon as Angus got his shit back together.

He walked faster.

She matched his pace.

Angus didn't want to make a scene _yet._ For all he knew, she was just...drunk. But her eyes were so intense on him, as if she was searching for something inside him. Before he could run off, she was right behind him, muttering to herself.

"I knew somethin' felt funny," she whispered, her hand firm on his shoulder. Her eyes were scanning Angus, inspecting him. 

He tried to wrestle out of her grip, but she held on tight. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, ma'am."

"This some kinda disguise spell? Makin' yourself look like a kid? That's wild." She snapped her fingers in front of his face. Angus felt her cast _something--_ he resisted it, he thought, because he didn't feel like he was under any enchantment. "Hey, hey, _hey--_ c'mon--tell me how you're doin' that."

"Doing what?"

 _"That,"_   She waved her hand around his head. "That--that _thing_ with your _soul."_  She leaned in closer, tilting her head like a curious bird. Now that she was closer, Angus realized that her tome wasn't bound in _leather,_ but in _skin._ "What circle you in?"

Oh _hell_ no. Angus was _not_ about to get in bad with a fucking _necromancer._ "N-none? I'm not--I'm not a necromancer, ma'am." He pulled on her arm. "Would you let go of me?"

She held on tighter, pulling him close to her. "This feels like pretty serious stuff, m'man."

"If--if you don't let go of me, I'll scream."

"You won't." Another pull. "Someone puttin' somethin' this heavy on 'em wouldn't blow their cover so quick."

Angus' breath caught in his throat.

"C'mon," she said, holding him by the arm. "You're comin' with me."

He walked with her, reluctant. He didn't have any other options at this point. She was right, he couldn't call out. Not enough people were out on the street to notice this happening. He saw some of the villagers watching, but he didn't call out to any. Why? He could have, easily. His brain felt blocked, full, and glazed over. The edges of his vision dulled, and he couldn't _hear_ for a minute, couldn't _see_ things that weren't right in front of him.  _She was right, she was right, she was--_

The weight lifted out of Angus' stomach.

Suddenly, his head cleared. They were in the forest now, walking towards a candlelit cave. _Fuck._ He should have called out, that would have been the safest. Even if--even if someone saw him, he would have been fine. He could have ran before anyone asked him questions. There was no way Taako or anyone could find him based on a weird woman trying to kidnap a kid in the boonies. He should have screamed. Why did he make such a bad move, there?

_Oh._

_Of course,_ she put an enchantment on him.

Angus didn't have a lot of time to feel stupid for that mistake. The cave was getting dangerously close, threatening to swallow him. "Let go!" He tried to thrash out of her grip, but she was _strong_ and an _adult_ and _twice his size._

"We're not going to hurt you," she said. Angus didn't feel inclined to believe her.

"What are you going to do to me?"

She held tight, insistent. "Nothin' bad. We just wanna know how you're doin' that."

"Doing _what?"_

"Don't play _dumb,"_ she said, pouting. "Your soul's all over the place. I like that. Teach us."

"I'm not going to teach you how to hide yourself from _doing crimes,"_ Angus said.

She laughed, wicked and wild. "Just talk to my boss, why don't you?"

Angus couldn't escape, so he was led into the cave. These necromancers weren't in the middle of a ritual at the moment. Just...chilling. They had a water cooler and some finger sandwiches. A few were in jeans, like that was the height of necromancer fashion now. It would be hilarious if Angus wasn't so terrified for his life. Every cultist turned their head at Angus' arrival. They murmured soft questions, such as  _what's that?_ and  _is that where that cloud-y soul is coming from?_ and  _oh, a regular boy!_

The woman grinned and shoved Angus in the middle of the cave, on a circular altar. Candles lit the whole ring. They were bright like stage lights, and Angus couldn't see much past them. The amount of voices around him was disorientating. They echoed off the cave wall, and it was difficult to pick out individual phrases. Two necromancers came from out behind the candles. One looked to be in charge of this whole thing--still had dreary robes, but they had more decorations than the rest. Some god or goddess' symbol was embroidered on the front, but Angus failed that religion check. He approached Angus quietly, softly, in an attempt not to seem frightening.

"We're just checking your soul," the leader said, dagger in hand, "Just gonna take a little blood, it won't hurt much. Like going to a cleric!"

Angus wanted to open his mouth and say that his  _soul_ hadn't changed, just the signature, but he was being held down by another necromancer and all those thoughts left his head. He thrashed against the grip, hating that he was getting  _overpowered_ so often. He freed his shoulder just as the leader pressed the knife down. He hadn't meant to cut Angus too deep, but Angus' movement forced the knife into his shoulder instead of his arm--and the necromancer was so  _shocked_ that he accidentally added more pressure. 

Few people could claim that they had a knife  _accidentally_ driven into their shoulder, but Angus was one of them now. 

The necromancer took out the knife to collect a little blood, and then drove it back in. "It'll keep it from bleeding more," he said, although the pain made it hard for Angus to hear. The man left the altar, along with the one that held Angus down, and now he was alone in the middle of these candles.

He tried to breathe, to calm himself down. The pain was sharp, but not as sharp as he thought it would be--was that shock? Did Angus go into shock? He couldn't feel much of _anything_ right now, so that was likely. The cave was buzzing with activity as they checked his blood. Angus couldn't see what they were doing, couldn't hear individual words, but they were fascinated. Like this was an experiment, or a game. They'd probably want to do more. The spell Angus had used wasn't from this plane, so they would ask him a million questions, ask if he knew any more, make him teach them the spell. Angus felt exhausted just thinking about it. 

That was it. This--Angus knew he couldn't get out of this alone. It was too much, he wasn't equipped for this. Even if he used his crossbow to knock off some shots, they could use that enchantment again and keep him here. Would they experiment on him more? Would they torture him? He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out. He couldn't do this alone.

Angus dropped the spell.

His soul wasn't spread out over two miles anymore.

And nothing happened.

Nothing happened, and Angus was going to die in a musty cave, with his shoulder bleeding out, with these people  _experimenting_ on him. The necromancer from the street came back into the circle, grinning with that wild look in her eyes. She muttered out some promise to take the dagger out of his shoulder, and then asked for more blood. Angus felt tears pricking at his eyes, squirming and scooting backwards, until his back knocked a handful of candles off the altar. He had a thought--that maybe they'd make his death slow--and all the air was knocked out of his lungs. That's not how he wanted this to end. He should have called off the spell earlier, he should have written for help, he should have--

And then, a tear in reality came in between Angus and the necromancer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: hey, it's going to take me a while to update again, I have to get used to my new job  
> me, 2 days later: WHAT IF I JUST WRITE 3K WORDS IN A FEVERISH RUSH AND POST A NEW CHAPTER *BEFORE* MY FIRST DAY???  
> but SERIOUSLY, slower updates start NOW, i mean that FOR REAL THIS TIME (but thank you to everyone for your kind words!!)  
> also, this just seemed like a good point to leave ya'll at. or maybe it's a bad point to leave you off. OH WELL!  
> Thank you all for reading! We're getting pretty close to the end of the story, here, and..............oh damn, i've had this payoff planned since the beginning of the fic, it's going to be great! (keeping with taz tradition, the finale brings EVERYBODY back..................................)


	24. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako finds a boy. Taako keeps a boy.

Angus expected Lup to crash through the portal, crush all the necromancers, and run back to help him. Angus expected Barry to walk through the portal, grab him, and walk back through without any fanfare. Angus expected Kravitz to step through the portal, throw Angus through, and then go clear the cave in revenge.

He didn't expect Taako to push through the portal before the other three could walk through, an accusatory finger pointed straight at Angus.

"Angus FUCKIN' McDonald."

"I--I didn't know my middle name was _fuckin'."_ Angus chuckled nervously, scooting to the side away from Taako.

"Nope, ah-ah, not a chance, this is _not_ the time for goofs." He repositioned himself right in front of Angus. Taako must not have seen the stab wound yet, or else he would be screaming for a whole different reason. "You're in BIG TROUBLE, _little man."_

The necromancer who tried to take more of Angus' blood put a hand on Taako's shoulder, muttering something incomprehensible. Without hesitation, Taako swiveled on the balls of his feet and shot four magic missiles straight into her chest. He turned back around to face Angus, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him away from the edge of the altar.

"You're so _dead,_ and then Barry's gonna rise you back up from your grave and then you'll be _dead_ again, and then--and _then--_ " Taako pulled on his hat, trying to come up with an end for his stupid tangent. "Kravitz is--fuckin'--gonna put both of our asses in the Stockade for necromancy crimes, and you'll have to be--goddamned--scolded by me for an eternity!"

"Are--are you really going to kill me?" Angus asked, holding his hand over his bad shoulder.

Taako took another hard tug on Angus' ear. "Try me, _Angus McDonald."_

The use of his real, legal name didn't do anything to calm Angus' fears.

Barry stepped out of the rift and summoned his scythe. "You're not dead, kid," he said, walking out past the altar. "But, uhh, these guys are." 

Lup came out of the rift next, followed by Kravitz. She saw that Taako had the whole Angus situation under lockdown, and decided to follow Barry. Lup leapt out of sight, yelling at the necromancers so loud her words echoed through the entire cave. "Fuckin' loser dumbasses, think a kid using a fourth level necromancy spell isn't _suspicious?"_

Kravitz hung back for a moment, unsure whether he should go swinging into the cult or stay back to help Angus. He did notice Angus' stab wound, though. Kravitz tapped Taako on the shoulder, pointed to the dagger lodged in Angus' arm, and went to go join Lup and Barry on their necromancer roundup.

Once Taako saw the knife, all the color drained from his face. He scooped Angus up from the floor and situated him on his hip. Angus wasn't entirely fond of being handled like a baby, but he was in too much pain to complain. Taako seemed to be deciding whether or not to pull the blade out. "Okay, look, I'll fucking--scolding later, healer _now."_ He walked towards the rift, only for it to close shut just as he was about to step through. "Are you _kidding_ me?"

Angus held on tighter to Taako's cloak. "I can wait a few minutes, sir."

"You've got a _knife in your arm,_ dumbass!" Even with an injured child in his arms, Taako refused to lower his voice or be more gentle. "I'm pretty sure you're the only person on the planet with less hit points than me, so, that's kind of a big fucking deal!"

Taako ran towards the edge of the altar, but the amount of flying daggers, scythes, and beams of magic were incentive enough to stay the _fuck_ back. Angus didn't object. He didn't want any more blades sticking out of him than the one he had already, thank you very much. Taako cleared his throat and shouted out past the altar in an attempt to catch Lup, Barry, or Kravitz' attention.

"Hey? Hey, uh--Taako to-- _any_ of you, really--" Taako shrunk a bit once he saw that nobody answered him. "Can you--can you, uh, help a dude out?"

One of the necromancers turned, grinned, and started crawling up the altar.

"No, uh, not you--" Taako kicked at them with his foot, but they grabbed his ankle. "Hey-- _HEY--_ that's not--I'm kind of--I'm off the market, y'know--"

"Sir, wand?" Angus asked, holding his hand out.

"I can do it, I'm not about to let a--let a _brat_ that's--" Taako, still rambling, fumbled to grab at the KrEbStAr off his belt without stabbing Angus in the leg. He shot a ray of frost at the necromancer, digging his foot out of the frozen mess when he was done. "--can't--fuckin'--let a _stabbed kid_ save my ass--"

Angus let out a breath, watching the fight unfold in front of him as Taako blathered on. Tuned the whole monologue out. He worried more for the three bounty hunters. There were a lot of people in this cult, and they swarmed in horrifyingly coordinated attacks. Lup left scorch marks on the sides of the cave, and Barry hovered close to her for support. Still, they were surrounded on all sides, and if they lost any focus, they could be overpowered in half a second. Kravitz was already pinned to the ground and struggled to fight his way out, shouting in wildly ridiculous accents the whole time.

Taako switched back to calling for the rest of his family, but nobody answered. Angus could tell it was getting to him, from his frantic pacing to the way his widened eyes scanned the room.

_"Fuck,_ are any of you listening?"

"Taako, I'll--" Kravitz started to answer him, but someone's arm covered his mouth. He bit down on the arm and wriggled himself out of a dense pile of bodies. _"Augh, just--_ one moment, alright?"

"Cool, uh, cool..." Taako held the back of Angus' head, turning away from the action. "I'll just...hold the kid..."

"You could go help them, sir, I wouldn't mind."

_"No,_ I'm not--" Taako held on tighter. "You're not getting out of my sight."

That was probably the closest Angus was going to get to an _I missed you._

It shouldn't have affected him so much, but Angus was _tired_ and _injured_ and the aftermath of the mind enchantment the first necromancer put on him was still swimming through his brain. Angus didn't have the energy to hold back the tears that pushed behind his eyes, even though he so badly wanted to. He turned his head into Taako's shirt and sobbed, holding on as tight as he could.

"Hey--" Taako stopped and knelt down on the floor so Angus could put his feet on solid ground. He still held the boy close, voice shifting from a frantic whine to a soft coo. "Hey, hey, _hey,_ what's--what's this?"

Hiccups and whines interrupted his voice "I was--I was really scared, and, I thought I was g-going to die in a cave and get--get thrown into the Stockade for doing n-necromancy--"

"No, _hey,_ that's not going to happen."

"And I--I had to _steal things_ and--and I had to lie to you a lot, and, I lost a lot of my favorite things to throw you off my trail--"

Taako, for once in his life, shut up and listened as Angus blubbered through his month on the road. Getting handcuffed, the insane Disguise Self stunts, the stealing, the mill, Kalen, and everything in between--Angus did his best to describe it as the fight drew out around them. Not much surprised Taako, but he wasn't happy listening to any of it. Angus didn't realize how _fucked up_ it all was until it was said out loud. He took another minute to cry on Taako's cloak, surprised that Taako  _let_ him do it.

Once he was done, Taako let out an exaggerated, put-upon sigh. "So, uh, was that _worth_ it? The whole--all this shit you've done, you wouldn't--you wouldn't have _had_ to do any of it if you just..." He frowned as he tried to finish the sentence, and abandoned it. "Why'd you do it?"

"I didn't--I didn't think it would be a big deal, I thought--that--you'd look for a couple weeks and then give up, and, that'd be fine because I can take care of myself--" 

"For a smart kid, you're pretty _fucking_ stupid, you know," Taako blurted out.

"Gee, that's such a nice thing to say to someone who's got a _knife_ in their shoulder," Angus said, wiping away a glob of tears with his good arm.

"Don't think that getting attacked by necromancers is gonna get you out of scolding." He scrubbed some of the dried tears off of Angus' cheek with the palm of his hand, slightly too aggressive. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you? Don't answer that--you _don't,_ there's no conceivable way you would understand."

Angus shut his mouth.

"Did you know that none of those three--" Taako waved his arm towards the fight. " _None of them_ have slept since you've left? Not that they need to, but, _damn,_ they go straight from their bounties to _looking for you,_ and, that's--holy shit, Lup's snapped at everyone, Barold-- _fuck,_ do you have any idea when I last saw _Barry_ angry?" His shoulders slumped. "And--Kravitz was _constantly fuckin' crying,_ like, who knew those tear ducts still worked?"

"And--and then, fuckin'-- _Magnus,_ and _Merle,_ and Carey and Killian and pretty much _everyone_ was--forming search parties, took sleeping shifts, the whole nine yards. Did you know I had to go, had to be in a search party with _Lucretia and Davenport?_   They've all been--all been looking for you, and _none_ of us have slept soundly through the night in a _month."_

"Not to mention the agony you've caused to the most important party in this--me, myself, and I--If I wasn't wearing a glamour right now you'd be able to see the bags in my eyes go all the way down to my jaw." Taako rambled, now. Angus wouldn't be surprised if Taako had completely forgotten his original point. "I've barely gotten over losing Lup--h-how the _fuck_ did you think I'd be fine losing my s-s-- _apprentice?_ Did you ever think about that?"

"Yes, sir, because I was thinking _so hard_ about how this would impact _you._ That was _obviously_ the most important factor." If Angus weren't so injured, he might have felt guilty after saying that, but he had bigger things to worry about.

Luckily, the words set Taako back on track. "Doesn't mean it's a good idea to _run away."_

"You sound a lot like a hypocrite, _sir,_ you ran away when _you_ were a kid." Angus crossed his arms and looked up at Taako over the rim of his glasses.

"Yeah, because Lup and I had _nowhere else_ to go! You have--" Taako slipped out a few curses in Elvish before gathering his thoughts. "Damn it, Angus, you have, like, a _million_ people that worried about you! Even if we pretend that I don't exist in this--in this _equation--_ you would be taken in by someone else immediately!"

"That doesn't matter if we're going to lose the trial!"

"If you--if we didn't win, we would have--figured _something_ out!" Taako counted on his fingers as he listed off things Angus had told him. "Running away, going to work in a _mill_ doing _hard labor_ for a month, almost eating _fucking **nightshade,**_ and--and--getting _stabbed in a cult cave_ isn't a good solution!"

Angus wiped away the last of the tears from his cheeks, frustrated instead of sad now. "None of that was as bad or--as _absurd_ as some of the stuff I read in your diary!" He hadn't raised his voice in front of Taako more than a couple times (once, after a particularly nasty goof, another time during a magic lesson), but this was as good of a time as any to start.

The change in tone seemed to throw Taako off. He stumbled for a moment before derailing off on another tangent. "You--you can't make the same mistakes as Taako, those are _my_   mistakes. I've trademarked them!"

"It's still unfair." Angus crossed his arms. "I think I can handle myself."

"That's what I thought too, until--until you _ran away for a month."_

Angus frowned. He didn't have the energy to yell again--that was fading away, fast. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Taako was still lively enough to yell, though. "You could have _told us_ you were leaving!"

"You wouldn't have let me--"

"Because it was a _bad idea--"_

"And you've done _worse!"_   The last of Angus' fight left him with that, and now he stood there, winded like an old man.

"You're going to--to--to do the same shit as _a living dumpster fire?"_ Taako must not have noticed, because there he went again. "I thought you were a smart enough kid to avoid decisions that--that _have a history of fucking a life up."_

"But--but you're--" Angus took in a sharp breath, tried to collect himself. His eyes felt heavy. "Sir, you're a, a powerful wizard and also, an astronaut, right? That doesn't--seem like a dumpster fire..."

"And do you know how many years of shit I had to wade through until things got _okay?_ Do you know how long it took for things to be _good?_ It took me a hundred and ten years to get somewhere _stable,_ and then about sixty more before I got--fuckin'--educated, and, employed, and--" Taako quieted down, some sad expression passing through his face. "You--you're--you have eighty, ninety more years, if you're _lucky._ Keep--keep pulling stunts like this, and you'll end up with even _less_ time."

Angus didn't know how to answer that.

Taako gripped his (non-daggered) shoulder. "Listen, I don't--I don't know how many times I have to say this." He held on tighter. "You're _eleven."_

"Don't patronize me." Angus' words didn't have the amount of bite he wanted. The pain in his shoulder was getting worse by the second, and his vision blurred at the edges.

"It looks like I have to, a little bit. Because, apparently, when you think you have to be an adult, you do some _wicked dumb_ shit. It's not enou..." Taako kept talking, off on some other tangent, but Angus could barely hear him. Could barely _see_ him--his eyes were unfocused, as if he forgot to put his glasses on. It was getting hard to stand upright. After a minute, Taako stopped talking and looked at Angus. Kept looking. _Oh--_ he must have asked a question.

"I'm _fine,"_ he said, the words sounding like water in his ears. Hopefully that covered any question Taako had asked.

Taako wasn't convinced.

He said something else, but Angus didn't hear any of it. Suddenly, standing on two feet became just as difficult as walking on stilts over a tightrope. Angus remembered falling forward, but he didn't remember hitting the ground.

* * *

There were fingers in his hair when Angus woke up.

His eyes followed the curve of the arm to see who was sitting next to his bed. Angus didn't have his glasses on and a haze seemed to censor their face and body. Whatever. Didn't matter. He turned his face into the pillow, still exhausted. The hand on his head stopped, surprised, and then continued to rub his head. Felt nice. He heard a voice ask him if he was awake, but it was a million miles away. Angus tried to answer _no,_ because he wanted to sleep more, but it came out in a garbled mumble. A second voice laughed.

Angus didn't want to get up. His head pulsed in heavy pain, refusing to lift from the pillow. His shoulder didn't sting anymore, but he could tell someone wrapped it tight. The rest of him was stiff and groggy.

The hand left his head. Angus took his face out of the pillow to glare menacingly in that direction.

Both voices laughed, and the hand returned. A second one rubbed on his good shoulder.

It was comforting.

"Kid's just as clingy as his dad is," said the second voice. Angus couldn't see them from his angle, but the voice could only be described as "crunchy dad."

"Taako'd kill you if you said that in front of him." The first voice was the one with their hand in Angus' hair. Even though his vision was fuzzed over, he could tell it was Lup. "But it's true."

"Which part?" That was _definitely_ Merle's voice. "The dad part, or the clingy part?"

"He'd get mad at both. Still true, though." Lup leaned in closer to Angus. "You sure you're not awake, kid?"

"Don't want to be," he said. "Head hurts."

"I've got something for that." Merle waddled into sight with some liquid medicine on a spoon. "Tastes terrible, but, it'll do."

It took a lot of pillow rearrangement and some handling from Lup, but Angus managed to sit up and take the spoon. And, yeah, it _did_ taste terrible--the consistency of honey with the taste of soiled milk. Angus didn't want to know what it was made out of. At least the horrible taste and smell of it knocked his senses back into order. Head still hurt, thought, but Merle assured him that it would start working soon.

"Can I have my glasses back? I can't see."

Lup grabbed for a blurry line that sat on the nightstand and pressed it to Angus' face. He could see clearly again, but there was still a bit of fogginess from the sleep. She stood up.

"I'll go get Taako," she said, running a hand through Angus' hair one more time.

Angus' shoulders scrunched up to his ears. "Is he going to yell at me for running away again?"

"If he does, I'll kick his ass."

That didn't do much to assuage Angus' fears. "Are Mister Barry and Mister Kravitz alright?"

"Yeah, just putting those necromancer losers in ghost jail. I'm sure they'll come in as soon as they can." Lup leaned down and kissed the kid's forehead, disappearing through the door seconds later.

Merle checked Angus for any other injuries, and changed the bandages that wrapped his shoulder. It looked like the shoulder would scar, but at least it was _sore_ instead of _exploding in excruciating pain_.  Merle asked why Angus was stabbed _twice_ in the shoulder, and when Angus told him that a necromancer slid the knife back in after taking it out, Merle had to hold back a chuckle. _Dumbasses,_ he said, and told Angus how to properly treat a stab wound, _just in case._

"What're these?" Merle asked, pointing at the band scars on Angus' hands.

"I worked at a textile mill for a month," Angus said, running his hand over the white line, "Just an accident with one of the machines."

"Well, I can't do much about the scarring. Your shoulder might come out a little funky, too." He adjusted his eyepatch. If Merle had two eyes, he'd be winking, probably. "Think of it as a...cautionary tale, kid."

"Yes, sir." Angus frowned.

The door creaked open before Merle could lecture him any longer. Taako's head popped through.

"I, uh--" He pointed to Angus. "He's awake?"

"No, he's just sleeping upright with his eyes open." Merle sneered.  

Taako didn't laugh. In fact, Taako didn't react much at all. He didn't address Angus either, only talked to Merle. "Can he eat yet?"

Merle nodded. "Nothing too hard or crunchy, and nothing fermented. It'll screw with the medicine I just put in 'im." He pat a bag of medicine on the table next to him. "I've got one more thing to give him, but it's strong, so put something starchy in there."

"Got it," Taako said. He didn't move.

"Maybe get 'em a jello or something, kid's had a rough day."

"Yeah, real rough..." Taako frowned, refused to look anyone in the eye.

"Then, uh, can I have two jellos, sir?" Angus asked, hoping to lighten the mood. Merle laughed, but Taako stared at him blankly. He stood in place for another moment, and then left without another word. Merle noticed how much the silence made Angus wither.

"He'll talk to 'ya," Merle said, patting Angus on the back. "You gave us a scare, y'know."

Angus answered with a hum, not in the mood to talk about it.

"I've gotta go check on something, stay in here." Merle hopped off his chair and opened the door. He called for someone else to come watch Angus while he was gone; they weren't going to leave him alone. Angus looked around the room as Merle tried to wrangle in a babysitter.

He was back in Taako's rented apartment in Goldcliff. Back in his room. His briefcase leaned up against the wall, full of all of the stuff he found on the road. Kalen's sword was there too, but someone wrapped the blade. All of the things Angus left behind to throw off his trail were laid out--his wand, his clothes, even the journal he threw in the bushes. The dagger that was previously in Angus' shoulder sat on the table next to him, as well as his copy of the new Caleb Cleveland novel.

Angus picked it up. His bookmark still sat right where he left it.

_"Ouch!" Caleb said, rubbing the divot in his head where Triston hit him. "What was that for?"_

_"Why didn't you call the sheriff?" Triston asked, his face shifting from anger to concern._

_"They wouldn't have done anything," Caleb said, "They're on the convent's side."_

_"Then you should have called me!" Triston crossed his arms and raised his voice louder than he should have. "You always think you have to do these things on your own."_

Angus shut the book, a gust of book-dust hitting him in the nose. Great, even his favorite novel was lecturing him. By the time Angus put his book back on the bedside table, Lucretia sat herself down beside Angus' bed.

"It's good to see you awake." She looked _awful,_ really, but Angus decided it wouldn't be polite to comment on it. Still managed to drip out gravitas while sleep deprived, though, so that was impressive all by itself.

"Hi, ma'am." Angus put his hands in his lap in an attempt to look not as injured and fucked up as he was. Didn't want to worry anyone more than he already had. At least his head wasn't hurting as much, now that the gross sour milk medicine worked its way through him.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't be as much of a danger magnet as the rest of us," Lucretia said, her smile tight and official. "But, perhaps it runs in the family."

Angus laid his head back on the stacked pillows. "I don't know if you can call me _in the family,_ ma'am, I think Taako hates my guts now."

"Trust me, you would know if he hated you." Lucretia put a hand forward to comfort the boy, but thought better of it and laid it back in her lap. "You should have seen him when one of us would come back alive after a bad year. He ignored some of us for months out of spite. It just means he's worried."

"That's ridiculous," he said, pouting.

"Well, Angus, this _is_ Taako we're talking about." Both of them had a bit of a laugh at that, until Angus burned out his lungs.

"Have you told anyone I've been found?" he asked, because he _really_ needed to know if there was a chance that Violet would barge in and ruin his entire day.

"Not yet," she said, and some of the tension in Angus disappeared into thin air. "Until we figure out a good way to win the trial, we're keeping this under wraps."

"Thanks." He smiled, but something else was on his mind. "Miss Lucretia?"

"Yes, Angus?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"With me? No. I'm very glad you're safe." Lucretia looked towards the door. "I can't say for certain if Taako is angry at _you_   or at the circumstances leading up to this."

"Do you think he'd drop his claim on me for this?"

Lucretia opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of the door slamming wide open interrupted her. Taako had kicked the door open. He held a tray of food in both his hands, walked over to Angus' bedside, and dropped the tray right in Angus' lap.

"Out," he said, staring Lucretia down.

She nodded and pat Angus on his good shoulder before leaving. "Feel better, Angus."

"Yes, ma'am." Angus waved her goodbye, and then Taako took her seat. Angus looked down at the tray, most of it filled with mashed potatoes. There was a little bowl of chicken soup, too, which probably didn't pair well with _potatoes,_ but Merle had been specific with what Angus could and couldn't eat. Two cups of jello sat off to the side. Angus smiled--maybe Taako wasn't so mad at him after all. "Thank you, sir."

"It's--whatever." Taako shoved the bag of medicine Merle left behind onto Angus' tray. "Don't forget to take whatever _this_ bullshit is when you're done."

"I hope it doesn't taste like spoiled milk again," Angus said, grabbing a forkful of potato.

Taako didn't answer him, so Angus went ahead and ate his food in silence. There were potato skins in the mash (which, Taako insisted were intentional-- _the vitamins are in the skin, dingus)_ and the soup was a bit bland (Taako also insisted this was intentional--something about Merle's awful food requirements). It wasn't the best meal he ever had from Taako, but it didn't offend his stomach and it didn't mess with any of his medication. Most importantly, it was a  _meal,_ and it had been a while since Angus had something so filling.

Finally, Taako spoke up. "Okay, so, what the _fuck_ was all that about? Why'd you leave?" At least he didn't sound angry. It was a simple question.

"I'm sorry, sir, I--used magic to overhear the trial, and, I realized you were losing." Angus set down his fork and reached for the bag of Merle's medicine. "You said something about it being rigged, and, yeah. That made sense. There wasn't any use in staying if I didn't have a chance."

"Oh." Taako drummed his fingers on the bedside table. "Could'a called us to warn us."

"I promise, I was going to come back after I turned eighteen." He took the bottle of...whatever Merle had made, checked the label, and poured it out onto a spoon. "I--I mean, if you'd, um. Remember me."

Taako frowned. "Sheesh, kid, what makes you--made you think we wouldn't?"

"I don't know," Angus said, quiet. "Just a hunch."

He took down the medicine, and, yeah--it was just as bad as the last one. Angus wasn't sure what it was supposed to do, but hopefully it would help him feel less _tired._

"I mean-- _look,_ listen, I--" Taako went off, out of nowhere, and Angus laid back, mentally strapping himself in. Sounded like this was going to be a long one. "You didn't have to run away, we would have figured _something_ out."

"I can handle myself, sir."

"Sure, sure, but have you considered this? You're _eleven."_

Angus groaned. "You have said that _a lot of times before,_ now, and I don't really like hearing it."

"Too bad, because I'm saying it _more._ I really couldn't give a shit about how many murders you've solved, or how good you are at magic, or how long you can stay on the road without starving." He paused, took in a shaky breath, and kept going. "I know you're used to, sort of, doing everything on your own, but. That's. That's not the deal I'm giving you."

"The deal?"

"You know, with--" He waved his hand in the air, as if that would explain his whole point. "Like, the trial and the, the whole-- _Taako's your legal guardian_ thing."

"There's a _deal."_   Angus said, plainly. "So it's conditional now?"

"What? No, that's--not it."

Angus waited for Taako to elaborate, but nothing came out. He could have been frozen in time, for all Angus knew. "Sir?"

Taako let out some more shaking breaths. "Y-yeah?"

"What's the deal?"

"The deal is--I, uh." Taako held onto the bedside table, as if bracing himself. "Listen, you don't--you don't have to, this isn't--I'm not _forcing_ you to do anything. If you just need someone to sign your papers and just, _exist,_ for legal purposes, that's fine, I'll _do_ it." Another long pause. "But, look, you already call Lup your aunt, and--and. And, uh, I think the natural implication of that, is--"

Angus didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to figure out the rest of that sentence. "So you--you wouldn't just act as a legal guardian, you actually want to be my dad?"

"If you call me that, I'll disown you." Taako had to take another moment to breathe. He really didn't want to be having this conversation, but Angus was delighted to hear more. "But, like, I _guess?_ Like, it's not going to be--traditional, or anything, but. _Yeah?_ If you don't want that, sure, I'll back off, but. That's the deal."

That--yeah, that _was_ what Angus wanted. It was what was implied from the beginning, when Taako walked through the court doors in a poorly-fitted suit. But it was never said in any explicit terms, just in off-hand quips and phrases that could be passed off as jokes. He never thought it would _happen._ Before Angus could answer, though, Taako was already backpedaling like a Fantasy Olympic cyclist.

"I fuckin'--I gave you an option, at the beginning, to back out if you wanted." Taako refused to look at Angus now, bouncing his leg as he spoke. "And--Angus, listen. If you don't want my assistance anymore, just. Say the word. We'll--we'll wait until your shoulder's fixed up, I'll give you all your shit back, I'll give you a backpack with a few hundred gold pieces and some supplies and just--drop you off somewhere safe and remote. We already know you're tough to find, you could probably--probably survive until you're eighteen. If you want that, just. Say it." 

Angus answered without hesitating. "That's not what I want."

Taako nodded, mostly talking to himself. "Okay, great, cool, cool cool--so, you, uh--just, you're just--this is, I'll be, your, uh, legal guardian, just for the papers--"

"Sir, I don't have a problem with you being my actual, for-real dad." 

"Are--are you sure about that? Because, it's kind of a big fuckin' deal, and, uh--wouldn't want you to regret...that."

"I won't, sir." Angus flashed a great, big smile. "You're not forcing me into it, that's what I want too."

"Oh. Then, uh, that's--that's great. Fantastic. Of course, I mean--who _wouldn't_   want to have _Taako_ as their dad?" As if a switch got flipped on Taako, his nerves immediately disappeared. He pointed at Angus, lazy but menacing. "You're grounded for a month."

"What-- _why?"_

"For running away, obviously!"

"That's so unfair!" Angus threw his good hand up in the air--his other one was still too sore.

"Too fuckin' bad, you just _gave_ me that authority!"

"Fine, you're _not_ my dad!" Angus puffed his cheeks out. 

Taako broke out into laughter. "Whoa, nobody told me you'd be a broody teen _this_ quick!" 

Angus couldn't hold back laughter either, completely destroying the goof. He needed to get all that energy out, though--it genuinely felt like Angus had a shot at this now. He wasn't sure how they'd get through the trial, but Taako was probably stubborn enough to get it done. "Thanks, dad," he said, without meaning to--it just slipped out.

"Nope, no way, I specifically told you not to do that," Taako said, waggling his finger. "You get three strikes, Agnes, and then I'm disowning you."

"Really? Because that just sounds like I get to call you my dad two more times in my life with no consequences." Angus bat his eyelashes at Taako, feigning innocence. 

"When did you become a rule breaker?"

"There's a difference between breaking the rules and finding a loophole," Angus said, grinning. Taako let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head.

"Alright, uh. When you're feeling better, you can come on into the living room. We're--talking strategy, on this whole thing." Taako stood up, but didn't leave Angus' side yet. "That is--if you. If you want to go back to court?"

"I would prefer to do this legally, but..." Angus shrugged, but only on one side. "I don't know if that's possible."

"If it's not, you can come back with us, and...we can just. Not tell them we found you. It'd be like...running away _again?"_  Taako shrugged, also only one one side. Angus laughed. "But, like. Supervised this time."

"Supervised?"

"Yeah, uh--" He rocked on his feet, gathering his thoughts. "You could hide out with us, sort of, rotate your location so it doesn't get boring. One week you're on the moon, and then out in Merle's property, then with Carey and Killian, and whatever place I decide to go--" Taako let out a snort. "I bet we could get Lucretia to force Lucas to smuggle you in his school as a secret."

"That, um. That sounds like a pretty good plan B." Angus looked up at Taako and smiled weakly. "But I'd like to try and win this first."

"Ugh, why do you have to be so lawful good?" He rolled his eyes. "Just--come out when you're feeling better, okay?"

Angus deflated. "You're leaving me alone in here?"

"No, uh--everyone wants to see you. There's--there's a _line."_  Taako's arm flew out in a sweeping gesture, almost hitting Angus in the forehead. "But Merle said something about not _overwhelming_ you, so, we're doing this one or two at a time."

"Oh." Angus perked right back up, smiling all the way to his ears. "Alright!"

"Trust me, pumpkin, you're not goin' to be alone again on _my_ watch." He ruffled Angus' hair and made his way to the door. "See you in a bit."

"Bye, sir!" Angus waved him off. He cracked open his Caleb Cleveland novel again while he waited for the next person to walk in. The lesson shoehorned in the book didn't bother him as much anymore; maybe there was some truth to it.

He put the book back down and ate one of his jellos, his family bursting through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did I put in a "two jellos" scene because of the amnesty announcement? yes. yes i did.  
> okay, i swear, FOR REAL, slow updates start NOW (my first day of work is coming up next week, but i figured........one more update to this couldn't hurt)  
> can you believe this only has five chapters left?? i can't!  
> next time, part one of the final courtroom scene!


	25. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako tries to hammer out a good strategy for getting Angus out of the trial, and gets a surprise visitor.

They kept Angus' return a secret at first. As soon as they gave Angus back to the city, he'd have to go to court immediately. They needed to hammer out a strategy to _win_ this thing, and more importantly, Angus was _tired._ Kid needed a break. He didn't have much energy on the first day, and spent most of his time sleeping. Someone would always be there when he woke up. Someone to talk to him, someone to say how much they missed him. It was nice.

After he was able to walk again, Angus was practically Taako's shadow. He didn't cling to him or anything, always stayed at arm's length. It didn't take too long for Taako to get annoyed at the distance. He pulled at Angus' shirt collar like a lion wrangling its cub, steering him where he wanted the boy to go. He ruffled the kid's hair and straightened his little boy tie (and made fun of his fashions while he did so). He wrestled Angus' Caleb Cleveland novel out of his hands and refused to give it back unless Angus sat next to him while he read it. He pulled Angus into the kitchen and made him knead dough for him and taught him how to dice vegetables. Even though he acted disinterested in the whole thing, his actions were sickeningly parental. Taako didn't seem to mind doing it as long as nobody pointed it out (Lup was the only one allowed to make fun of him for it). He snapped at Merle when he accused him of going soft.

The apartment was filled to capacity most times of the day, with family and select visitors coming to see Angus. They asked why there were scars on his hands and asked to check on his stab wound. He felt bad. Everyone who came to see him looked so  _worried._   But then Lup pat him on the back and said, "Shit happens." At least Angus could take comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only person in the family to disappear without a trace.

More than a couple people gave him protection charms or magic items imbued with abjuration magic. Carey gave him earrings with a shielding spell imbued into it (that she stole when she was younger) and then offered to pierce his ears right on the spot. Angus laughed and said he'd have to ask Taako, but wasn't expecting him and Lup to run into his room ten minutes later with a needle and a cup of ice.

Angus made it clear that he'd rather get his ears pierced professionally, and probably not until he was older.

Taako called him a square. Lup put another piercing on her ears ("c'mon, the supplies are already _here,_ why wouldn't I?") no matter how much Angus warned her about the dangers of home piercing.

It really felt like home.

Now they had to fight for it.

* * *

Taako hated Lucretia's strategy and shot it down as soon as she said it out loud.

She wanted to keep Angus on the moon for seven years. He wouldn't be able to go planetside, ever. At least when Taako gave Angus the option of hiding out until he turned of age, he gave him a wider range of freedom. No matter how big the moonbase was, it would be boring to stay there for so long, and Angus wouldn't get to go to school for seven years. 

And...okay, maybe Taako wanted Angus in his house for at least part of the year.

Was that selfish? Probably.

But Angus also said he wasn't fond of the idea, so they moved right along.

Lup's idea was to bypass the legal system entirely.

Have Angus publicly be living under Taako's roof, but just...not turn him back in. What were they going to do, arrest  _Taako?_ He could just pack himself into a caravan with Angus and run all over the continent. Two guys on the road together, not tied down by anything.

Taako didn't want to shoot down his sister's idea, but he hated the idea of being on the run for seven years. He didn't think he'd be able to pack into a caravan again, either. Too much weight behind it. And being  _on the run_ from the authorities? He had enough of that to last him the rest of his life. No thank you. If he was going to live in this plane, he was going to do it his own way, not on the run, not starving, not in constant panic. 

Angus didn't like it either--it wasn't very stable, and he still wouldn't be able to go to school. 

Lup understood his concerns, and dropped her strategy pretty fast. 

Taako refused to entertain Davenport's idea. 

Merle asked him to at least listen to it, but Taako was a stubborn guy. Didn't budge. Lup defended him, even though she looked like she wanted to listen to Davenport's side. He was already pretty frazzled with the case, though, so nobody wanted to press his buttons any further. Davenport was disappointed and left. He promised he'd help, but didn't want to be in the same room as Taako. 

Good, because Taako didn't want to be in the same room as him.

Magnus' strategy played a little dirty, but it was their best shot.

_Blackmail the blackmailer._

Lucretia used some of her influence to gain access to records in some confidential Goldcliff records. They were looking for _anything._ Dirt on the judge, the jury, on Violet, the rest of the McDonald family--anything that would incriminate someone in the trial and force it to stop. From there, they'd be able to request a new judge and jury. Or, if they found enough dirt on Violet, maybe they could use it to turn the judge and jury against her. They could come up with a more specific strategy once they had more specific information.

Angus had a few ideas for leads, but that's all he was allowed to give. He took a backseat to the entire thing. It felt strange, not having direct involvement in a case, especially not _his_ case. But whenever he asked if there was anything else he could do, all the adults in the room would remind him that it wasn't his responsibility to fix what the adults around him fucked up. Instead, Angus passed the time by finishing up his Caleb Cleveland novel and practicing magic.

The Caleb Cleveland novel had a happy ending, so things were looking up.

And it was great, because they had all the time they wanted to get a strategy. No rush at all. None of the public knew that he was back, and they managed to keep it a secret from the militia. They could take their time finding evidence as long as they kept Angus inside. Angus didn't mind, either. He didn't like being cooped up, but it was better than diving straight back into the trial. Taako didn't leave the apartment much either, and that was comfort enough for Angus, even if Merle still tried to tease him for it.

"Sue me for wanting to spend some time with my goddamn kid," Angus heard him say through the walls one night. He brightened up at that, still not completely used to the idea of having Taako as his dad.

"Someone already is, kind of," Lup said. She sucked air in through her teeth, immediately regretting the choice of words.

"Don't say shit like that, you never know who's listening." Taako paused, silent for a little too long. Angus held his breath, wondering if Taako could see the listening spell he cast on the wall. "Go to bed, Agnes,” he said, and went back to his conversation.

Didn't punish him for eavesdropping. In fact, the next morning Taako told him that eavesdropping was okay as long as he was using magic to do it.

Every couple of days, the adults (still weird that Angus was able to let them handle it all) would gather in the living room and go over some of the evidence they found. They didn't let Angus look at all of it, but he helped when he was allowed. So far, they had only found dirt on earlier generations of the McDonald family--his grandpa had a few black marks on his record, and the disappearance of his uncle popped up a few times. But nothing on Violet, nothing on the judge or jury. They'd have to go in deeper, and that would take a very long time. Luckily, they had all the time in the world.

At least, that's what they thought.

* * *

They were expecting Magnus and Lucretia to come by that afternoon with more materials. It sounded as if they found something worthwhile that day, but they had to double-check with Angus. So they sat in the living room waiting for the two. Angus bothered Kravitz with questions once he popped in to visit after work (the image made Taako's heart flip painfully), Lup was locked in arm-wrestling combat with Killian, and Ren had stopped by to hammer out a few details on her and Taako's business plan. Everything about the afternoon seemed like it was going to stay lazy and quiet, until there was a dutiful knock on the door.

It had to be Lucretia, Taako thought--Magnus would never knock so dainty.

He didn't think much of it, and hopped up to answer. Even with all the help she supplied lately, Taako leapt at the chance to make her uncomfortable. Answering the door coldly was one of his best tricks. Lup was too occupied to notice his scheming face, so it wasn't like she could stop him either. Perfect. He could screw with Lucretia in peace, then take whatever she had gotten with Magnus and try and get the plan to go further.

He opened the door, and Lucretia wasn't behind it.

Somehow, it was worse than Lucretia.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Violet asked, wearing a smile that looked painted on.

Taako should have slammed the door in her face, but hesitated just a touch too long. She jammed her foot right at the door so it couldn't shut. This was--bad. This was probably the worst thing that could have happened here. If--if she saw Angus--

He glanced behind him, and the rest of his guests had caught on that something was wrong. Violet couldn't see half the living room from where she was standing behind the door. Nice, because Angus was out of her line of sight. And also out of Taako's sight? Where was he? Kravitz rushed out of the room, his cape slightly wider around his body. Oh, that's how it was. Good. At least that was taken care of. He turned back to Violet, hoping that didn't seem too suspicious.

"What're you--" Taako froze, finding it hard to get the words out. This was _torture,_ being in front of the person who caused all of the bad shit over the past few months. He wanted to punch her, or blast her off into space with a magic missile, but. She'd probably sue him, or figure out how to use it against him in the custody battle. He had to actually watch his dumb mouth here. "...This is _my_ place," he settled on, sounding a touch too nervous.

"I've noticed that you haven't left the apartment in a few days," she said, awfully good at faking concern. "Have you given up your search efforts?"

"Just taking a break." He tried to pry the door closed, but her foot did a real good job of wedging it open. "Spying on me, now?"

"Am I not allowed to feel worried for you?" Violet pressed a hand to her chest and frowned, really selling the act. "Obviously you and Angus were close."

"Obviously." Taako settled on saying as few words as possible, hoping to get whatever _this_ was out of the way so she'd leave. And if he didn't say much, she wouldn't have many chances to use his words against him. "You got a reason for being here?"

"I'd like to have a chat with you." She smiled again, the sight boiling Taako's blood like pasta water. "Maybe we can find Angus together."

"No, I'm good," Taako said, trying his best to shut the door. He failed his strength contest against Violet, and she was able to wrestle control of the door from him. Once she had full control, she swung the door open the rest of the way, revealing a burly militia member standing behind her. They had a nightstick strapped to their belt, and, yes, was more muscular than Magnus. 

Oh no.

"That wasn't a request, sir." Violet smiled.

Lup and Killian stood from their seats, completely ready to throw down. Ren had her hand on a stone of Farspeech, eyes on Taako and waiting for a signal. But the militia member was bigger than _Killian_ too, and Violet had her hands and eyes all over the city. It would be so, so bad if they did anything--Violet would find some way to use it against them. Taako hated it, hated standing face-to-face with this bitch without the ability to get back at her for everything she did.

But he'd have time for that later. If he did anything stupid now, Angus would be in more trouble.

"Don't call me that again and you can come in," he said after summoning every ounce of self-restraint that he had.

"So sorry, it's a bit of a family vocal quirk." Violet brushed past Taako into the living room, the militia member following behind. "I'm sure you share some with your sister."

"You'll stay away from my sister." Fuck, just the presence of this bitch made Taako lock into defensive mode. If she assaulted Taako, he'd hit back with just as much force. But now, he could only blow back with words and threatening tones. If she was recording this (and she very well could have been), he couldn't be the first one to attack. On the other hand, Killian and Lup were  _super ready_ to attack. If Taako didn't level a glare at them, they might have done it the second Violet entered their apartment. 

Violet noticed all of the eyes in the room were fixed squarely on her, and took a step right into Taako's personal space. "May we speak somewhere more private?"

He could have said no. He could have said _fuck you_ and made her say whatever bullshit she was selling her in front of his sister and friends. But.  _But._ His head was screwy at the moment. Not perfect for making decisions.

"Your guard's gotta stay in the living room if we do," he said, wanting some bit of control over the situation. 

"Fair enough." Violet spoke to her guard, hands behind her back. "We'll be back soon. It should only be a minute."

As they left the room, Taako noticed that Lup didn't offer the militia member a drink.

Taako led her down the hall. He couldn't bring her into Angus' room. There were too many signs of living in there. She'd figure him out in a second. It would be too suspicious to take her into the bathroom, and Barry's room would be weird too. Kravitz walked out of Taako's room and closed the door. _Oh no,_ did he put Angus in there? It was the worst place for Angus to be at the moment, but Taako didn't fault Kravitz for shoving Angus in there. It _was_ the larger bedroom, and if Angus had to be stuck in one room for fuck-knows how long, he should have a little space to stretch out. Kravitz couldn't have known Violet would get so far into the apartment. It was too late to portal Angus somewhere else now, Violet would hear it. Kravitz seemed to be thinking the same thing, still hovering by the door nervously.

"Excuse us," Violet said, trying to push past Kravitz.

"Um." Kravitz held his hand on the knob. "No?"

He watched the awkward exchange from his place down the hall. Kravitz did everything he could to stop her from going inside, and Violet tried to call his bluff. They weren't getting anywhere, just at a standoff with each other. It would be hilarious if Taako's head wasn't swimming with anxiety.

Taako didn't know if Angus was sitting out in the open behind the door, or if he was prepared enough to hide under the bed. Could he hear Violet's voice through the door? She was speaking pretty low. Angus needed some kind of a warning. A bad noise. He looked all down the hallway, which was kind of empty. The only piece of furniture was the hall table, which held a couple of photo frames and a misshapen vase. It would have to do, for now. He "fell" into the hall table, splitting it in two and allowing the vase to shatter on the floor. Taako hated to see it break, that was Kravitz' vase, but magic could fix most things. The important thing was that it made a loud enough sound that could be heard through the bedroom door.

"Whoops!" Taako steadied himself by holding the table. It might have been a purposeful fall, but now he was actually hurting. There's no "safe" way to fall through a table. "Fuckin' Wonderland liches, I swear. At least it wasn't made of glass, right?"

"Are you alright?" Kravitz abandoned the door to check on him.

Taako needed some help getting out of the bed of ceramic shards. "Yeah--d--hey, babe, mind taking--taking this over to Ren? She's got some--mending spells under her sleeve." His arm shuddered as he used it to prop up his body. At least he didn't have to act like he was in pain. That was all natural, baby. 

"Of course." He picked up the broken pieces and used his cloak to carry them out of the hall. His concern and fear seemed so genuine, Taako wasn't sure if it was an act or if Kravitz was too dense to notice he did it on purpose.

At least Violet seemed to buy the act.

"A little clumsy, aren't you." Her voice was cold.

"Got some of that good elf dexterity taken away." He smiled, knowing it would probably look too fake. Didn't care at this point. Maybe she'd think he was putting on a brave face after the fall instead of outright lying to her. "It's fine, he'll take care of it."

"Seems a little dangerous to have Death in the house," Violet said, nose in the air, always superior. 

"Oh, please, he follows the rules real good." Taako waved his hand, trying to dispel the entire conversation. "And 'sides, he only goes after people that break death laws."  

Violet tilted her head to watch him condescendingly. "Just doesn't seem like a good idea to have someone that dangerous around, especially since you're fighting so hard to keep Angus."

"We should start talking about your dumb thing," Taako said, desperate to change the subject before Violet was able to goad him into attacking or yelling at her. Had to remind himself that everything she said was a lie.

"We should," Violet agreed, and opened the door to Taako's room.

Shit.

Taako ran in right after her, knowing that any damage was already done. Violet gave a cursory glance all around the place, judging it. No doubt looking for evidence of Angus. But she didn't find any, because _of course_ Angus was smart enough to know to hide after all that noise. Such a good kid. Taako made a mental note to do something nice for the boy for the trouble.

Not that he needed an  _excuse_ to be nice to the kid anymore. That was his son now. Still weird to think about.

Violet stood right at the foot of Taako's bed, hands behind her back. It screwed with Taako's eyes to see someone so horrible in his own room. It sent off so many red flags off in his mind, every instinct telling him to run away. But. No. He had to stay calm, pretend to stay calm. Get through this chat and forget it all happened later.

"I'll cut to the chase, because it seems like you're in a hurry to have me gone," she said, speaking slowly and clearly, "I want to make you a deal."

"No," Taako said, not even blinking or hesitating.

"You didn't even hear it." Violet frowned, disappointed. "If you drop your claim on Angus--"

"Hell no."

"--I would allow you to visit him twice a month." Fucking  _bullshit,_ of course she wouldn't keep that promise. She'd probably try it for one visit and then drop Taako forever. What did she think, that he was born yesterday? That he hadn't been screwed over by bad deals a hundred times over in his life? 

"That's still a no," Taako said, and shut his damn mouth. Didn't want to get caught using more words with her than what was absolutely necessary.

"You're just being unreasonable." She folded her hands in front of her, doing her best to look concerned again. "I've read a few studies, it's not very good for children to be brought up in a single-parent household."

"Also not good for children to be--fuckin'--poisoned on the regular, y'know?" That probably went too far, but Taako couldn't deny himself one, singular jab. She couldn't arrest him over a jab. The militia member wasn't even in here with them.

"You believed that? Children say funny things, like jokes. They like to lie to get out of responsibility."

"Not Angus, like, that little shit _likes_ doing work."  He couldn't hold back the little smile that crept up over him. "Total nerd."

"You speak as if you don't even like him," Violet said, her voice like poison. Taako lost the smile. "I have a feeling that you would get restless and bored after a few months of taking care of a child."

"You don't know that." Back on the defensive.

"Of course I do. I know you. The entire world knows you." She stepped uncomfortably close to Taako. Broke his personal bubble again. "It would be so much easier for Taako if you just...handed him over."

"Sorry, but that's--that's m'boy," he managed to say without too much waver in his voice. 

She crossed her arms, looking increasingly frustrated. "You're making a mistake."

"That's all that Taako makes." He flashed one of his performer's smiles, the fake ones he used during Sizzle it Up. "You'd know that if you  _knew me."_

"And that's exactly why I won't let you turn Angus into a mistake." She stepped forward one more time, and if Taako could die from her poisonous breath, he would have at this point. "You know you would."

Taako opened his mouth to defend himself, but couldn't get the words out. She wasn't saying anything  _wrong,_ technically. He  _was_ a mess, and even if he wasn't trying to make Angus a mess, what if he was missing some fundamental part of parenting that Angus needed to survive? How was he supposed to take care of a human kid, anyway? Was he too messed up from his own childhood? Would Angus absorb his own trauma through some fucked-up psychological osmosis?

He shook his head, banishing those thoughts out of his brain. It didn't matter. He could do his worst and it would still be better than Violet fucking Angus up on purpose. Better to fuck up out of love than to fuck up out of spite, right?

Fuck, he hoped that was right.

"Three hours," Violet said, once she realized that Taako wasn't budging. "If news of Angus McDonald's return hasn't hit the papers in three hours, I'll write my own story about how you've trapped Angus in your apartment."

"You're a bitch." 

Violet made a big show of sighing, looking incredibly put-upon. "You have to understand, I'm only doing this to protect my dearest nephew."

"You're not foolin' me, I know what gaslighting looks like." Taako opened the door and gestured towards it. "Get out of here."

"Of course." Violet walked through the door, looking over her shoulder and smiling as she left. "Three hours."

"Three hours," he agreed, a sick feeling burrowing deep in his stomach.

The door to his room closed with a click. He'd let Lup and the others usher her out of his apartment. He couldn't emotionally process that at the moment. He sat on the edge of his bed, breathing deep until the bad thoughts that Violet planted into his brain lessened. 

"C'mon, kid, I know you're in here," Taako said to the air. "What did I tell you about eavesdropping without using magic?"

Angus' form appeared out of thin air, the telltale signs of an invisibility spell wearing off. "I _was_   using magic, sir."

"Oh, well. There you go. No problems, then." He slouched over, all the energy leaving him in a split second. "Sorry you had to hear that. Got kind of nasty."

"It's alright, I've heard it all before," Angus said with a calmness that broke Taako's heart in half. "We should try to get the news out that I'm back. I, um, should stay here until we know she's gone for sure, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah." Taako laid his chin in his hands, watching the door with a tired look in his eyes. "Just--two minutes, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Angus sat up next to him on the bed, not sure how he should approach the situation. Taako could practically  _see_ the little gears turning in his head. "You know everything she said about you was a lie, right?"

Taako answered with a wordless hum. Sure, he knew that on a factual level, but it was a whole other ballgame to listen to her bullshit directed at him. He wasn't lying when he said he'd been gaslit before, but that didn't mean that it hurt any less when it happened. 

"Sir?" Angus asked, his voice more concerned than ever. "It's been two minutes, sir."

"I know," he said, even though he didn't. Three hours wasn't a lot of time. They really needed to get moving, but Taako was still a little too shaken. He took in a breath to steel himself, but it didn't feel like enough. Angus watched him with studying eyes. Taako shouldn't have stayed sulking for so long, it was worrying the boy. He was dealing with enough shit, he didn't need to worry about Taako's state of mind. 

Before Taako could try and dispel Angus' fears, though, the kid crashed into him with a big, tight hug. Taako stayed there for a few moments, still staring blankly off into space, more caught off guard with the whole situation than angry about it. Angus let out a small, concerned whine and pulled away.

"Sorry, you just--looked--um, really worried." Angus nervously looked down at the floor and pulled his arms to his chest.

Taako scooped Angus back into another hug, tighter than it should have been. "If you apologize for doing something fuckin'  _nice_  again, you're grounded." 

Angus smiled and hugged him back, not even bothering to answer the quip with one of his own.

"Listen, I know it was all lies, and I'm good, it's just--well, you probably know." Taako held him up close, hoping this came off as comforting. 

"Not fun to listen to, mhmm." He nodded into Taako's chest. "If it helps at all, you're doing a much better job than my old dad!" Angus turned up his head to look up at Taako and smile at him, and then buried his face back into the hug. "I'd much prefer a parent that fucks up over one that doesn't exist at all!"

"You're a little shit, you know?" Taako laughed and knocked his head on top of Angus'. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think we were, like, actually  _literally_ related."

_"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,"_ Angus said, in his most proper voice, "that's an Angus McDonald original."

Taako snorted. "That's--you fuckin' stole that from some Fantasy German philosopher." 

"And I know  _where's your will to be weird_ was something Fantasy Jim Morrison said, that you put into a book and claimed as your own." Angus laughed. "So maybe dial it back a bit, sir."

"Okay, that's it, you're  _definitely_ my boy," Taako said. He let go of Angus and stood up off the bed, made his way towards the door. "I don't say it a lot, so don't get used to it, but--y'know I love you, and you're going to be the second most powerful wizard in, like, two years. After me, of course. I'm the first."

"I know, sir." He smiled wide, showing off his missing tooth. "I love you too!"

"And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll turn you into a toad, and then you'll have to go to frog school. I don't think they have advanced courses in wizarding at frog school, so maybe watch yourself." He ruffled Angus' hair. "I'm gonna check to see if bitch aunt left, and then we'll figure out how we're spinnin' this story."

"I'll wait right here." Angus sat back on the bed. "Don't bother falling on your ass again to warn me that Aunt Violet is coming into the room, I could hear her voice a mile away. I put sensors in the living room anyway."

"Smart boy."

Taako grinned and left the room, a little more confident that he could win this fucking fight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, a couple things: this isn't going back to regular updates yet, but I figured I should post this now so that it's not inactive for *too* long!  
> second: this was originally a chapter that was going to be twice as long, with the beginning part of the trial--i cut it in half so this could update today (and so that the next chapter isn't ridiculously long) that's why the length of this expanded by one chapter  
> but we're almost there, almost!!! getting closer and closer! 
> 
> thanks for all your patience, everyone!


	26. Judgment (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus speaks up. The trial is almost over.

Angus McDonald's return was all over the news.

The story did a hell of a job getting the public back on Taako's side--Lucretia wrote the article herself, used every connection she had to have it published anonymously. None of it was untrue, but it exaggerated a few things and understated a few others. It was a heartwarming story, pulled on the public's heartstrings. Painted Taako in the best light possible. Didn't mention the week where Angus stayed in secret at his apartment. A pretty good article for such a tight deadline. Violet didn't have her hands on it, and it felt great to take at little bit of the situation out of her control.

It didn't help that the judge and jury were still in the palm of her hand, but. It was a start.

Angus went back to Magnus' after the story was published. _Someone_ had hired militia members to stand guard outside of Magnus' rented house, but other than that, Angus' living arrangements didn't change much. Before dinner, Lup would portal into Magnus' house and collect him and Angus. Taako let them both stay overnight. They put up illusions in Magnus' rental house so the hired militia members didn't notice the two boys left. Angus slept better in _his_ room, with _his_ family. Not that Magnus wasn't family--they were like brothers at this point--but Taako's apartment was more comforting, because at this point it was also _Angus'_ apartment.

Bad news: they didn't have all the time in the world to gather dirt on Violet anymore. Once news spread that Angus McDonald had been found, the court was _very_ interested in closing the case as quickly as possible. The jury claimed they were ready for their decision, and there would only be one day of court left. Their strategy had to change.

Friends still volunteered to go through the archives looking for dirt. They had a whole team now. Maybe it wouldn't take as long.

They looked through what little evidence against Violet they already had. Nothing concrete. She was frighteningly clever and smart about all of this, covering her tracks expertly. Mr. McElroy still refused to help them, and didn't hand off the evidence he had against Violet. Too afraid for his children. He said he'd help after the trial was over, in a lawsuit against Violet, but he'd have to make sure his children were safe. They asked Chuck to witness, but it seemed like Violet tore apart all the records that they were ever related. And, in a court that was controlled by her, who would believe him? He said that he'd help in any future trials, and that Angus was always welcome to hide out in Kepler if he needed it. 

Barry managed to get the remainder of the trial to be private, citing Angus' traumatic experiences. It was perfect, because they'd be able to tear down Violet in private. Not that they wouldn't want to tear her apart in public, but it would be difficult to do so without any tangible evidence. They weren't able to have everyone come to watch the trial, but the press was nonexistent. A fair trade. It hardly mattered, anyway--for the plan to work, they needed a lot of hands in the search for documents. Other than Barry and Taako, only Lup, Kravitz, and Merle were allowed inside. Magnus and Angus sat where the audience used to be.

So, the new plan:

"And, this is the really impressive part, at least on _my_ side, but we had this whole fuckin' cave of necromancers--" Taako spoke actively, his hands and face animated in a way that didn't seem realistic. "And they were going to do something fucked up to the kid, right? So he's got a dagger in his shoulder, I scoop him off of the platform, now I'm dodging blasts of necrotic energy with an eleven year old in my hands--"

...was to stall for as long as possible until the search team could find enough dirt to stall the trial.

The judge rubbed their temples, exhausted from hearing Taako's recount of the rescue for _twenty minutes._ "Mister From TV, we don't need to hear _any more details._ We all read the article--"

"--no, hold on, this is the _important_   part, isn't it, Angus?" Taako grinned up to where Angus and Magnus sat.

Angus gave him a thumbs-up, grin so wide it showed his missing tooth. "Yes, sir!"

"See, even the kid agrees!"

"The jury is aware of the events leading up to Angus' rescue." The judge frowned, trying to get past this as quickly as they possibly could. "It's all over the news. You do not need to repeat it."

"You can't have all read the article, the jury isn't supposed to read any news regarding this case," Barry said, ecstatic to find that they broke a rulein front of them. That meant there could be more cracks and flaws in their plan. "This is the first time they should be hearing it."

One of Violet's lawyers spoke up. "It was a very popular article, I think we could forgive the jury for taking a peek."

"I don't think we can." Barry adjusted his glasses. "Your Honor, shouldn't we be playing this as close to the book as possible? I know this is a private court now, but we shouldn't be playing fast and loose with the rules."

"Well, I think we can, and this is my court." Great, great, _great._ They had basically put themselves into a trap here. Now that this was a private court, they could threaten and accuse Violet of whatever they wanted without any evidence. But, assuming Violet was paying off or threatening everyone inside, they could do whatever the hell they wanted too. This judge was fully on Violet's side, and wouldn't even let them get a word in. "If it's alright with the rest of you, I'd like to close this case already. I believe the jury has already come to a decision."

Barry raised his hand. "Wait, your Honor, isn't there any way we could--"

"You have had enough time to plead both your cases fairly," the judge said, in a voice that was too hurried to have been natural. "We have displaced this boy _enough,_ he deserves to have a swift verdict."

"How would you know?" Angus asked, but then shrunk when he saw all of the eyes in the courtroom on him. He saw Barry and Taako make a discreet _go on_ gesture, so he straightened his back and projected his voice out loud. "I'm not an infant, sir, and I don't appreciate others speaking on my behalf without asking me!"

"Yeah, get'em, Angus!" Lup slammed her palms on her seat.

"Don't _encourage_ that behavior." Violet couldn't decide whether she wanted to look enraged at Lup or at Angus.

"All I need is ten minutes," Angus said, ignoring his aunt, "and if you listen, I'll stay silent and won't complain

"You would have to take whatever verdict they gave you anyway," Magnus whispered.

"I _know,_ sir, it's called _stalling,"_ Angus whispered back before vaulting over the half-wall towards the witness stand. This was a dangerous bluff Angus was putting himself in. He felt Violet staring cold into his back as he walked up, but nobody stopped him. He heard the door to the courtroom open and close, and when he looked back he saw Merle was missing. Good. Angus stood at the witness stand and waited a moment, knowing he had to buy as much time as possible. If he really got into it, the judge and jury might not notice that he was planning on going way over ten minutes.

He swayed on his feet a bit, not speaking yet. It wasn't because he was _nervous,_ or that he didn't know what to say, it was--stalling. It was stalling. It only _looked_ like nerves. It was a carefully practiced act. Soon enough, the judge prodded him to actually say something.

"I know what this is," he said, once he found his voice, "and it's not something I'm unused to. And because this is a closed court, I think I have the right to speak freely about what's really going on here."

The jury watched him, completely enthralled with how well-spoken this boy was. Fair enough; they hadn't given Angus a lot of time to talk before. Maybe if he sounded old enough, they would reconsider their little deal with Violet.

"I've worked closely with the militia before. I'm not an idiot, I know that corruption is a big problem. But--I don't think I've ever seen so much of it in the same room." Angus bit on his tongue as soon as the words left his mouth. "I guess I should say alleged corruption? Because I don't have any sort of, physical evidence of it or anything, so there's no way I can act on any of these accusations, but, I don't have to be the world's greatest detective to notice what's going on here."

"And because I don't have any evidence, I don't know how much money or what kind of favors my aunt Violet is giving you. It must be a lot, judging by how far you've gone with this." Angus gripped the rail of the witness stand, leaning over it as much as he could for his height. "Maybe it wasn't very much. Maybe some of you genuinely don't want to put me into the care of Mister Taako. But even if that's true, why would you want to put me in the care of somebody that feels like they need to bribe their way to winning?"

A couple of jury members perked up at that, but Violet stared them back down.

"I'm eleven years old, and still a little boy, and it's been made clear to me that I'm not old enough to take care of myself." Angus, suddenly feeling self-conscious again, pulled at the edge of his vest. He didn't know what else he could say, he was running out of arguments. "But I think I am old enough to choose who should be the one to take care of me."

Angus saw one of the lawyers and the judge open their mouths, but he kept going.

"When I tried to solve a lot of missing persons cases for people that didn't exist, I was offered a job on the moon. And it was the best job I've ever taken. Everyone on the moon cared about me."  Angus stuck out his lip a little. Even though it made him look younger, it also made him look sad and cute. "Would you really rather put me in the care of a guardian that didn't even _try_ to look for me when I went off to work on the moon? Why not the guardian that kept me company after my grandpa died, and after I had to move away from the rest of my family?"

The cracks in the jury started to show. They weren't sure of Violet anymore. All Angus needed was a little bit more of a push, and they'd turn against her. Hopefully. Half of them, at the very least.

Angus straightened his back and cleared his throat, more confident than ever. "And also, why wouldn't yo--"

"I believe that's enough." The judge slammed down their gavel. They talked Angus down like...well, he _was_ a child, but they spoke to Angus like he was an irrational child. "I don't know where you've come up with this grand delusion that all of us are against you, Angus. This is a court of law."

"You didn't let me finish," Angus said, annoyed, "you interrupted me."

"Because you're saying lies, Angus." The judge glared at Angus from over their glasses. "I know you have a big imagination, but to force the jury to second guess their judgment based on a silly idea you had? That's irresponsible."

"I'm not irresponsible, I've solved murders." Angus stomped his foot on the ground. "Murders, plural! I've seen more dead bodies than anyone in this room, maybe. Excluding the ones that went into space and watched a lot of people die every year."

"That doesn't mean you can come up here and make accusations against your aunt with no evidence."

"I _had_ evidence, with Mister McElroy, who _you_ assigned to this case!" The jury all took in a collective breath with the mere mention of evidence. "But then, suddenly, that evidence disappeared! How can I _not_ think that you're all against me?"

The whole courthouse was silent, just for a moment. Everyone bribed weighed their options. Everyone on Angus' side too afraid to let out a breath. If only time could stop right there, so that the people fighting for Angus would have more time. That's all they needed. More time.

But they were running out of time, and luck as well.

Finally, the judge took them out of their silence. "This isn't doing us any goo--"

"I can't do this!" The gnome juror from the bookstore stood from her bench. She spoke in a shrill, bothered voice. Her hand was clutched to her chest as she spoke, incredibly distraught. "I'm--sorry, but, I can't...I've been fighting with my wife for _months_ about how I should vote on this, and, honestly? This is the final straw. I can't--I have to vote for what's right, I'm sorry."

"Ma'am--"

"I saw the boy at the bookstore with Taako's family, and it--I don't think I can separate a family."  She looked on the verge of tears."I can hardly imagine what would happen if somebody took any of my children away."

"Nobody's taking your children away," the judge said, but the way Violet looked at the gnome said otherwise.

"Of course they aren't." The gnome sat back down, shaken. "I apologize for interrupting."

The judge slammed down the gavel before anybody could throw them off course again. "We will take a recess to allow the jury to make their final decision, and when we re-adjourn, they will announce their decision."

* * *

Magnus and Angus were supposed to wait in a private room, but no room is private when a good portion of Angus' extended family can cut portals to his exact location. As soon as the door latched shut, everyone on Angus' side from the courtroom poured out into the tiny waiting room through an extradimensional portal. It was cramped, but in a good way.

Would have been better if they weren't all on edge, but Angus took what little comforts he could get.

"How's it going up there?" Taako asked into his stone. They needed to regroup and figure out how to win this, and _fast._

"Honestly, Taako? There's nothin'." Ren's voice came out through the stone. She volunteered to go through the bulk of the records, considering how organized she was. It was also a relief for Taako, who didn't have to talk to Lucretia to get his information. "It's like huge chunks of the McDonald family records were taken out. Same thing with the judge."

"I'll bet they _were."_ Taako let out a breath and collapsed in one of the chairs. "Nothing on the jury?"

"We're lookin' hard, Taako, but--honestly, it's _twelve_ people, it takes a lot of time to sift through this."

"We don't have _time,_ recess is almost over and then they're going to end it!" Taako huffed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and handed the stone over to Barry. Angus had seen him frazzled during the case before, but seeing Taako backed into a corner like this made him feel like he had rocks in his stomach.

Ren paused for a moment. They heard her had cover the stone, and some muffled conversation before she uncovered it and spoke up again. "There's nothin' you can do down there?"

"We got one of the jurors to--uh--she broke down, but, now they're probably _threatening_ her instead."

"You think she'd do that?"

"She did it to Mr. McElroy," Taako said, and then cursed, and then threw the stone over to Barry in frustration.

"Do you think you could get Angus' cousin in there?" Carey's voice asked through the stone, from a farther distance from Ren's. "That may be our only option now."

"That might have worked better when the trial was public--everyone in that place is getting paid off by Violet now. Nothing we show them will change that." Barry rested his chin in his hands, thinking through the entire scenario. "And do you really want to risk her going after somebody else after this is all over?"

Lup sat down next to Taako and addressed the stone. "We might be able to pull him in after the trial is over, see if we can't get people to distrust Violet afterwards?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't help us _now_ when they're about to throw the gavel down!" Taako leaned into his sister, deflating immediately. "Shit, we don't have _time_ to set anything else up."

"Well, then, you might want to prepare to have Angus _disappear_ again," Killian said, her voice about as far away as Carey's.

Lup clasped a hand over Taako's shoulder."We could always sue the pants off of Violet _later,_ after we get Angus safe." She waited for him to answer, but he didn't say anything. She sighed and looked over at Angus. "You okay with that, Angus?"

"It's not the best thing that could have happened, but, it's better than the alternative!" Angus smiled wide, even though he was pretty disappointed on the inside. He knew that even if he had to stay at home until he was eighteen, they would do everything to make sure he didn't feel trapped. It still wasn't great, though. He couldn't pretend it was.

Angus watched the adults get everything ready. Kravitz went and cut a rift to the records room, in case they found the evidence they were looking for. Barry opened another rift so that everyone except Magnus and Angus could leave the room discreetly--didn't want anyone in the courthouse to realize what they were getting up to. Taako hung back a little bit, watching Angus.

"Sorry, kid," he said, much quieter than Angus had heard him speak in a while.

"It's fine, sir, we tried!" Angus leapt forward and hugged him. Taako might have needed that more than he did, judging by how tightly he held on. "I'll prepare my getaway spells like we practiced."

"We'll pick you up, just go somewhere nobody can see a portal." He dug his knuckles into Angus' scalp, not too hard, but hard enough to make Angus duck his head away. "I'd tell you how to escape the militia, but, you did a pretty fuckin' good job of doing that before."

"Sorry." Angus smiled up at him, only a little guilty.

Lup pulled Taako by the collar, towards the rift. "C'mon, they'll come to get Magnus and Angus any second. Don't want to get caught."

"Fine." Taako let out an exaggerated, put-upon sigh, and loosened his grip on Angus. "You sure you're fine with this?"

"Yep!" Angus let go. "And, sir, thank you for fighting so hard."

"Yeah, whatever." He followed Lup through the rift, offering one last wave to Angus before he disappeared. Magnus pat Angus on the back and smiled.

"It's gonna be fine, Angus."

"I know that, sir!" Angus went in to hug Magnus, too. This time he couldn't pretend like it was for Magnus' benefit; no, Angus _really_ needed that hug. It wasn't long enough, either. A few seconds into it, the door to the private waiting room opened. Time to get back into it.

* * *

Taako had to pretend that he hadn't spent the entire recess period in the waiting room with Angus.

He noticed Angus' hand was on his wand at all times. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he chose one that was more concealed than his previous star wand. It suited him more. The court didn't notice it, and Angus could be discreet.

Violet stood with her lawyers, smug as all hell and a twinkle in her eyes. She thought she'd won. And, technically, she did. It took a stupid amount of money and favors, and _why_ did she want Angus so bad when she was so bad at taking care of him? She'd probably try to sue Taako for emotional damages once the trial was all over. She'd be petty like that.

Barry tried to stall for time again, but was promptly shut down by the judge.

"I think this has been dragged out for long enough. The jury has said multiple times that they're ready to make a decision."

Angus stood up from his seat. "Sir--"

"Now, Angus, you had your time to speak." The judge looked down at him from over the rim of their glasses, like a disappointed teacher. "You said you would take whatever verdict the nice judge would give you."

"I lied." Angus crossed his arms. "Everyone else in the room is doing it, why can't I?"

"Nobody is lying, Angus. You have a very big imagination," the judge said, too calm for it to be genuine. "The jury has made their decision."

Angus watched the gnome juror again. She looked very uncomfortable in her spot, wringing her hands and staring down at the floor.

"I don't know what Violet offered you or how she threatened you, but you don't have to do this," Angus said in one last desperate plea.

"I--" The juror crossed her arms across her chest, unable to make eye contact with the boy. "You wouldn't understand."

"I think I'm the only one that could." Well. There it was, his only hope gone. Angus sat down, his hand moving to his wand. At least if this gnome was unsure of her decision, even through the bribes and threats, they could use that in another trial later. They might be able to get her to talk at another time. Even if Angus was going to stay hidden for a few years, that didn't mean the fight ended here. They'd fight in civic cases with Violet and against the Goldcliff militia. Maybe Angus wouldn't have to stay hidden for seven years if they won. Maybe they'd be able to put Violet in jail.

But that didn't help them today. They lost today's case.

Angus pulled his wand out of his vest. The judge asked the jury for their vote, and Angus would have to disappear quick, before he was legally put in Violet's care. Taako flashed him a subtle thumbs-up, a signal that told him it was safe to cast. Angus channeled his energy as the jury went through their vote. He stayed quiet, not wanting to get caught. Thankfully, most were watching the jury instead of him. He didn't even listen--he knew how they were voting. That wasn't a secret. Angus just focused on his spell like his life wasn't falling apart right in front of him.

It wasn't a good outcome, but it was better than staying with Violet.

He was halfway through his incantation when the courtroom doors burst open.

_"Objection, your Honor!"_

Davenport had thrown the doors open, followed by Lucretia, Merle, and Kravitz. For a moment, it felt like they were walking in slow motion, gravitas and confidence melting off of every one of them. Taako was ecstatic, even though two of the four in the group had gotten on his bad side. Barry relaxed at the sight. Lup couldn't contain her shriek of delight. Magnus clapped. Angus put his wand down. Was this it? Did they find something?

The judge was less happy. "Excuse me, this is a private cour--"

"You're going to want to see this," Davenport said, a twinkle in his eyes as he slipped a piece of paper out of his coat pocket. "I think you'll find it enlightening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmmMMMMMMDAVENPORT!
> 
> hey, i'm still alive! still not posting on a consistent schedule. i was GOING to post this later in the week, but i finished it earlier today and then after a quick chat with avislightwing, i figured i should post it today
> 
> courtroom scenes are genuinely the hardest thing for me to write in this fic, so please have patience for the next chapter. it's the last court chapter!!! and then the rest i have mostly written anyway. so after this next chapter it might be consistent. but until then: well. hopefully this won't take a month to update.
> 
> i've had this resolution planned from the BEGINNING and, like, everytime ya'll speculate about the ending in the comments, my lifespan extends by a year. because. while all of you are wrong, i love reading the speculation!!! (also, i've checked this fic about fifty times and i'm SURE there's some kind of legal plot hole somewhere in all of this because my knowledge of the judicial system only extends to the little research i've done to finish this--but also, at the same time, this is a fantasy court and i make the rules. hooray) 
> 
> FOUR! MORE! CHAPTERS!!!


	27. Judgment (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus takes one last hit.

"No more evidence is necessary to finish this trial," the judge said, frowning.

"Are you even supposed to be here?" Violet asked, arms crossed. "Only family is allowed here."

"Captain Davenport and Merle are like parents to us," Barry said, before Taako could open his mouth. "Lucretia is our sister. And Kravitz is in a long-term relationship with my client."

"Blood relatives, I meant."

Lup glared at Violet. "Do you really want to fight over whether blood relatives are the only ones that count in the middle of a _custody case?"_

Barry turned to address the judge. "Also, Merle and Kravitz were in the court before the recess started." 

"Very well." The judge, annoyed that they ran into another road block, laid down the gavel to listen to Davenport. "What do you have?"

"A portion of the late Mr. McDonald's will." Davenport unfolded the paper, showing the document. Light shimmered off of the official seal. "It was set to be released at his death, but this page got trapped in the works a bit."

Violet stood up from her seat, overly defensive. She knew this couldn't be good for her. "Impossible, my father's will wasn't lost. I was there for the reading of it!"

"Of course, his financial will. But he had a separate will to ensure proper care of his grandson," Lucretia said, stepping forward. "If this is a case specifically to determine Angus' guardian, it would be unlawful if we didn't take his grandfather's wishes into account. He was Angus' previous legal guardian. According to the laws of this plane, that means he holds the power to determine who his next guardian is."

This might have been it. Even if the judge and jury were bribed, there was no way they could ignore something so concrete. If the judge ignored this piece of evidence, and then Taako showed it to the public later, then they could lose their job. No amount of bribing could cause the judge to ignore something so important. The amount of paperwork, civil cases, and outcry that would follow--that wasn't worth any money or threats Violet could give.

The judge's tone changed immediately. Now, they were excited to see this evidence. "Well, please read it!"

Violet, of course, was not excited to see this. "Wait, Your Honor, what about--the jury already made their decision, do we really need to hear this?"

"If word got out that I didn't consider the will of Angus' grandfather into a custody case, we might have more problems down the road. Your father would have wanted Angus to stay with his next of kin, that is the normal procedure of these things." The judge watched Violet carefully, like they were afraid of what she'd say. But, ultimately, no matter the bribes and the threats, the judge was still the one with the power in this situation. "I'm sure this won't change the minds of the jury. Please, Captain, go on."

Davenport brought out a pair of reading glasses and perched them on his nose. He coughed, checked to make sure everyone was listening, and read the will.

_"In the event that my death precedes the eighteenth birthday of my grandson, Angus McDonald, I ask that he stay with a new guardian until he comes of age. When I pass, I do not want Angus to automatically stay in the custody of blood relatives. That would open the opportunity for villains to lay claim on him without care--people impersonating my missing children is one of my greatest fears._

_"Angus is in possession of my beloved silverware collection, passed down from the more wealthy generations of the family. Angus is a very intelligent boy, and is becoming old enough to make some of his own decisions. He would not leave the silverware with or show it to anyone who would cause harm to him. And, because of the boy's intelligence and his ability to put his trust in the correct person, I leave the burden of finding his guardian in my grandson's hands._

_"After I pass, it is Angus' responsibility to give my silverware to the person he trusts to be his guardian. He should not feel pressured to give this to a blood relative. I trust Angus to use his intuition to put his life in the hands of whoever he chooses._

_"The owner of the silverware will also become the caretaker of Angus McDonald."_

The whole court stayed silent. Baffled. The judge asked to see the document with their own eyes, and after a few minutes of verification, they announced that this was correct. The jury turned and chattered amongst themselves, unsure of their verdict now. Violet looked like she was about to tear her hair out.

This was enough to change the verdict.

"Wh--where is this silverware right now?" the judge asked, handing the document back into Davenport's hands.

"It went missing when Angus boarded the Rockport Limited." Violet glared at Angus, disappointed. "Which was very irresponsible of him."

"Actually, ma'am, the silverware is in Taako's apartment right now!" Angus jumped to his feet, shouting out with all the volume his little lungs could muster. "It's in the drawer next to the oven, I heard it!"

"You don't have any way to prove that," one of Violet's lawyers said.

"I have to disagree." Kravitz stepped up and handed a box to Taako. The sound of silverware echoed through the court. "I took a trip back to the apartment to retrieve the silverware. It's all right here."

The judge blinked, and leaned over their podium to watch Taako unload the silverware. "So the silverware _was_ in Taako from T.V.'s possession?"

"That doesn't count!" Violet spoke too hurried, too rushed. She knew she was on thin ice. "He just _found_ the silverware. The will states that Angus has to give it to his guardian. And because the silverware isn't in Angus' possession, that means that he can't choose his own guardian." She crossed her arms and smiled, thinking she'd found a nice way out of this whole thing. The judge considered her words. If they didn't stop whatever line of thought they were going through quick, the will might have been ignored.

"I disagree, ma'am." Angus reached inside his vest, past his wand. Looks like he didn't need that anymore. He took out all the silverware he had on his inventory at the moment. "I have three spoons, three forks, and one butter knife from that set in my vest pocket right now." He held out the silverware so that the whole court could see. "The will did not specify that I had to give the _entire_ set to my guardian."

The jury held their breaths, and Violet had her fists balled so tight, her nails left impressions in her palm.

Angus gave the butter knife to Magnus, and then hopped out of his seat. "I have been told that the crew of the Starblaster is a family," he said, walking over towards the group that burst through the door. He gave one fork to Lucretia, and another one for Merle and Davenport to share. "And I have seen it in everything they do. Everybody in and outside the crew has taken care of me during the trial, and done everything they can to help." Angus walked over to Lup and Barry, and handed them the last fork. "So, I think it's unfair to give all of my silverware to one person, because they're all family to me."

He still held three spoons in his hands, and smiled up at Taako. "But I do also know that, legally, I need a single guardian." He held the spoons out to Taako. "And I think it's fair to give them more silverware than everyone else."

Taako took the spoons, sneering to cover up how close he was to an emotional breakdown. "Joke's on you, I'll just-- _fuckin'--_ sell these again."

"So you _did_ steal and sell them the first time," Angus said, hands on his hips.

"I got them _back,"_   he huffed. He whispered quietly, so only Angus could hear, and said, "nice work, kid."

Angus smiled and nodded. He looked up at the judge. "So, that's it? Nothing else you need us for? The case just solved itself, didn't it?"

"I--suppose it did?" The judge watched Violet closely, unsure of what to do.

"Then what's the problem?" Taako raised his brows at the judge. "Any reason you're _not_ knocking your little hammer down, or...?"

"That can't be correct!" Violet blurted out, walking out towards the judge. "My father--I don't think he'd do something like this. This has to be a mistake."

"Not a mistake at all, ma'am," Davenport said, puffing out his chest proudly. "We've had the document verified--it's genuine."

"It looks genuine to me, Mrs. McDonald." The judge looked down at her, apologetic. "And, I'm sorry to say, but it seems as if Angus is firmly set on his decision. This is out of my hands."

Taako turned his nose and looked over at Violet, smug. They would be able to win the trial, easy, but they needed _something_ to make sure Violet didn't try to re-open the case later or talk to Angus ever again. But now that they had a document that legally placed Angus in the care of someone he trusted, they had leverage against Violet. Still, they had the suspicion that the document wasn't enough.

The only way to get Violet out of their hair forever was to wreck her, right here. And, because this was a private court, they could try a few riskier tactics.

"Should we--should we make another decision?" one of the jurors asked.

"As far as I see it, that won't be necessary." The judge folded their arms, deep in thought. "The terms of Angus McDonald's custody are written plain as day on this document. If we had found this earlier, we wouldn't have had to go into this case at all. It could have been sorted out of court."

Violet stepped forward. "But--you can't just--"

"Now, Mrs. McDonald." The judge held up one hand, calm and collected. "You are a dear friend of mine, but I have to say: there's no way I'm risking my entire career on this. This is an official document. We have to follow it. It was your father's decision."

"This is unacceptable!" Violet turned to Angus and stepped towards him. Taako pulled the kid behind him, wand outstretched. Violet didn't seem to care, operating on blind anger. "Angus, what has gotten into you? There is no reason why you should choose someone so--so unsuited for child care! I've taken care of you since you were an infant, Angus, I know what I'm doing with much more certainty than he would!" She twisted her face into something resembling concern. "I've been a good guardian to you your entire life."

Angus looked up at Taako, pulled on his arm so he'd lower his wand. Angus stepped out in front of him, shoulders pinned back and wearing a brave face. "Ma'am--I thought so too, when I was younger."

"Then come stay with me, Angus."

"No!" Angus felt his face heat up in anger, but forced himself to stay calm. "I only thought that because--because you were the only person who had ever taken care of me." Angus gestured behind him, towards his family. "Now that I've been other places, with other people, I learned that something was wrong." He frowned. "I don't ever feel like I have to hide things or hold myself back when I'm here. And I certainly don't get sick as much as I used to."

Violet laid a hand on her chest, trying her very best to look sympathetic. "You were just a sickly child, you can't blame that on me."

"I can!" Angus swallowed down his anger, not wanting to blow up. If he became too emotional, Violet would know she got to him. "I know I don't have solid proof, but I'm the world's greatest detective. It's not difficult to connect the dots."

"You never complained before," she said, in mock concern.

"That doesn't mean everything was okay before!" He couldn't help but shout a bit. This was getting ridiculous. "Even if I had known something was wrong, it wouldn't have done me any good to say it out loud. Nobody would believe me, and you might have hurt me more!"

"Hurt you? Oh, _Angus,_ that's not what I meant to do at all! Everything I've done has been to give you the best life." She put her hands on her knees, lowering her face to look at him eye-level, even if they were a good few feet apart. "It makes me so sad to hear that you think that I'm out to harm you."

Angus looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorr--"

"Stop that, bitch." Taako pulled Angus back behind him, taking the reins. Angus did a good job for a while, but he couldn't let Violet get to him. That would put power back in her hands. "Listen, that's not the first time I've heard someone say _that._ Angus owes _nothing_ to you."

"You wouldn't know that," Violet said, immediately on the defensive. "I've raised three children--"

"Four," Angus said from out behind Taako. "You're forgetting the one you disowned."

Taako sneered. "I dunno if you want to count him, kid, he kind of raised himself."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, although her posture stiffened and she refused to look either of them in the eye.

"It's fine, that's not--it's not really anything we're after you about." Taako waved his hand, unimpressed. And then he pointed at her, arm only half outstretched, lazy. "If you get anywhere near my magic train kid again, your ass is getting blasted all the way up to the moonbase. Not from a magic technology orb either, but from me. And my magic powers."

Violet's breath caught in her throat. "That's a threat," she said, and she was right--although, it seemed like the threat was working.

"Don't act like you haven't done worse."

"Once again, I have no idea what you mean." Violet stepped forward, trying to act sweet again. But the act was cracked and broken at the edges. She wasn't fooling anyone. "Listen, why don't we just try out joint custody?"

"Nope, the document says I've got full stake." Taako stepped backwards, nudging Angus to do the same. He didn't want Violet any closer to the boy than she already was. "I'm not budging."

The sweet demeanor fell away again. "You don't even know what you're doing! You're going to ruin him!"

"Sure, I'm not a dad or anything, I'm a wizard and a chef and a headmaster." Taako left Angus behind, stepping forward to confront Violet himself. "But, also, I can--fuckin'--read a book on how to take care of a kid, or I can get _assistance_ from the nerd collective that is my family. There's not a--there's no way in hell you're going to become a better person."

Violet opened her mouth, but Taako didn't let her speak.

"So, fine, I don't know what I'm doing! Guess what? Doesn't fucking matter, I've asked Angus a hundred times, he's cool with it. If he spends a couple months with me and we learn that I'm a shitty dad? Fine! He can stay with other family and I can be his shitty uncle instead."

"But that's not going to happen, 'cause--'cause I guess Angus is my kid now, kind of, whatever, and I'm not giving up on-- _that,_ unless he tells me to fuck off." He walked away from Violet, blocking her from Angus.

"Which I won't!" Angus smiled and stepped in front of Taako. "Even if Mister Taako messes up sometimes, he apologizes and fixes it!"

Violet frowned. "I've apologized to you before, Angus."

"No you haven't." Angus stepped forward once, just to be a little intimidating, but didn't get close enough for Violet to do anything. "You say things that make me feel bad for you and then make _me_ apologize!"

"You're only a child, Angus, you don't know how to take care of yourself yet." Violet took a step closer. "If you would just _listen to me--"_

"I won't!" Angus wasn't very big, and he wasn't very imposing, but he knew how to put his foot down when it count. "I know what's good for me, ma'am, and I know that's not you."

"How could you say something so hurtful to me?" Violet got a little too close to him now.

Angus looked at Taako for some kind of clue or reassurance. Taako shook his head, and that was enough for Angus. "I don't owe anything to you," he said, standing firm.

Violet stepped closer again. "Angus--"

"Back away, ma'am," he said, although a dangerous idea formed in his head after the words left his lips.

"You can't talk to me like that," she said, and stepped up even closer.

Angus didn't back away, and recalled the time when Violet grabbed him. He had done something she didn't approve of, then, and it was something she did before thinking better of it. "Fine, back away _please."_

"I don't know why you're so afraid of me, Angus, all I'm doing is trying to help." She had gotten even closer now, closer than Angus was comfortable with. He knew he wasn't going to like this next part, but judging by how angry she was. But it was a guaranteed win, he knew.

He gathered up all the courage he could, and all the air shot out of his little lungs as he shouted, "fuck _off,_ ma'am!"

And Violet raised her hand.

* * *

There were a few laws that Taako wasn't entirely sure of in this plane.

Like the drinking age. He knew he was well past it. But he vaguely remembered the drinking age on his home planet was eighteen for humans. He had heard the number referenced as twenty-one in this plane, though, so he wasn't sure. Or jaywalking? He wasn't sure if that was actually a crime or not. Most people traveled by carriages and wagons, which were slow moving enough that people could walk alongside them in the street. In smaller towns, sidewalks were nonexistent. And there were other things he didn't understand. He didn't know if he was allowed to vote. Marriage traditions seemed to be different. And what was _up_ with the country borders of this place?

But as soon as he decided to take on this case, he did read up a little bit about the lawful treatment of children in this plane. Faerun wasn't as technologically advanced as his home planet, but social issues were solved at higher speeds.

He knew that spanking wasn't illegal, but highly frowned upon. Teachers couldn't take paddles to students without a permission slip from parents. They were supposed to be in the supervision of adults until they turned of age. Eighteen for humans. They were required to receive some sort of education until they were at least sixteen. From his investigation in Kepler, he knew that there were child labor laws of some kind set up, even if those laws were often broken by desperate children.

Bottom line: there were lots of laws in place to protect children.

So when Violet McDonald struck Angus in the middle of a courtroom, Taako knew it was all over. He wanted to scream, watching it--he couldn't get to the scene in time to stop the hit. But from the look on Angus' face, he could tell the kid goaded Violet on purpose.

Fuck, he'd have to scold him for being reckless again. At least it worked this time.

Violet froze, realizing exactly what she just did in front of a room full of witnesses.

She didn't have a lot of time to reflect on that before Taako ran up to her and decked her in the face.

He wasn't a particularly strong fighter, and he had only made about three melee attacks in his life, but Taako wore a lot of rings and that shit _stung._ She wailed and stumbled backwards. Angus ran to hide behind Taako immediately. His face was a little red, and his cheek might bruise later, but he was fine for the moment.

"Why didn't you use your wand, dumbass?!" Lup called out, once she had finished cheering.

"I wanted to punch her!" Taako turned around in a second to check on Angus, whispering quietly. "You good, Angus?"

"Yeah." Angus held his cheek, grinning madly and speaking quietly. "Yeah, sir, I'm really good. She just lost."

"You're damn right she did. Let's wrap this shindig up," he whispered. Taako stood up to his full wizarding height, two feet taller with the hat, and grinned at Violet. "That's quite the temper you've got there, Mrs. McDonald."

"I--I didn't mean to--"

"Not really sure how you _accidentally_ hit a kid, like, that sounds really fuckin' fake." He saw Lucretia give him the most absurd look, and it took him a minute to remember why. Sure, he and the other dos horny boys asked her to hit Angus once, but, not very hard. They didn't think she'd actually _do it._

Violet kept backpedaling, looking around the court for some kind of out. "It was--I wasn't--you have to understand, I--"

Magnus walked up and stood in between Violet, Angus and Taako. "I think that's enough. There's not much you can say to defend yourself, here."

She looked over to the judge for help, but they just shook their head. She looked to the jury, and none of them acknowledged her. She looked to her lawyers, who were already packing up their files to leave.

Angus spoke out from behind Magnus. "The way I see it, ma'am, is that you have two options. We could ride out this trial, which looks like it's teetering in my favor already, and then afterwards, we can sue you for lots and lots of things. And it'll be in all the papers, your reputation will be ruined, and you'll go to jail for child abuse and rot there." He smiled. "Or, you could walk out of this court and leave my family and I alone, forever."

"Are you--" Violet grit her teeth, looking around the courtroom, and then back to Angus. "Are you _blackmailing_ me in the middle of court?"

"Well, I figure if a grown woman can blackmail a little boy with no consequences whatsoever," Angus said, smiling innocent and batting his eyes, "then I should be able to make the same blackmail threats in a private court with a collection of dangerous intergalactic heroes and a bribed and threatened judge and jury." Angus turned to the jury. "There would be _a lot_ of trouble if any of you were caught taking bribes. But I'm sure if I looked into any of your personal finances, they would be clean." Angus smiled so wide he showed off his missing tooth. "Wouldn't they?"

The jury and judge all turned to look at Violet. Any loyalty they had was gone now.

"Can you imagine the backlash if word about this got out?" Angus glared at her, as intimidating as an eleven year old could get. "I'd take the offer, if I were you."

Taako rolled his eyes, looking down at Violet with the nastiest look he could muster. "The kid's giving you a lot more mercy than you deserve, bitch, you better listen to him."

The judge coughed. "That's all well and good, and very generous of you to offer that to Mrs. McDonald, but..." They stroked their chin. "I can't look past this obvious crime you have just committed in my court."

"I can't, either!" The gnome juror from earlier stood up. "There's no way in hell I can keep quiet about this! I can always--I can take extra measures to protect my children. I can't let you get out of this without a fight."

"You've put this poor woman's children in danger, too?" The judge glared down at Violet. "Mrs. McDonald, when you came to me for counsel, I had assumed that Taako from T.V. was the person who had been treating this child wrong. But it seems like that was all an act. Is this why you asked for Mr. McElroy's evidence to be taken off the record?"

"I--I didn't--"

"Is that why you asked for this trial to be closed quickly?"

Violet stayed silent, knowing that anything she said wouldn't do her any good. She gave up. 

"I think this case warrants further investigation. I'll have to make some calls to the militia to see if we can't get to the bottom of this." The judge watched Angus, and nodded once in his direction. "Of course, I wouldn't want to put any more emotional strain on Angus McDonald, so we will only contact you if absolutely necessary."

"Thank you."

"But as far as I can tell, this specific case doesn't need any more legal intervention." The judge folded their arms and leaned on the desk, calm. "I can give a verdict, but it's mostly going to be for show. You have the document right there."

Taako grinned and winked. "I'm a performer, your Honor, I'd like to take the show."

The judge laughed, charmed by Taako's antics now that they weren't actively against him. "Very well." They picked up the gavel, holding it a few inches off its stand. "This court places Angus McDonald in the full legal custody of Taako from T.V., until he comes of age." They tapped the gavel down once and smiled. "That will be all."

As soon as the judge finished, fireworks exploded from behind--nothing that hurt any of the spectators. Just magic lights, mostly. 

"Please, no pyrotechnics in my court!" The judge yelled at Lup. "I can still hold you in contempt!"

"Sorry!" She shut off her magic and smiled. 

The judge kept a steady glare on Lup before turning to speak to Taako again. "I assume you'll want to celebrate for the rest of today, but please make sure to come by tomorrow to sign a few documents."

"Got it, will do!" Taako grinned, all the weight lifted of his shoulders now that this was over. "We're good for now, though, right?"

"Absolutely."

"We won?" Angus asked, eyes bright and wholly, truly  _happy_ for the first time in months.

"Yeah, we did," Taako said, pulling the kid in for a hug. "We did."

Angus broke away from him and ran towards the doors, with the rest of his family following behind. Whoops and hollers came out from everyone, even the jury, as they exited. Sure, Taako would have to come back the next day and sign _paperwork,_ and who knew what he'd have to do to contribute to Violet's imprisonment, but that hardly seemed to matter in the moment. They won. 

_They won._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promised ya'll i'd punch violet and put her in jail :)
> 
> this seems like the end, right?? no, it's not. i have a few things to wrap up. most of it is epilogue-based things, though! the main conflict is over! 
> 
> thanks to everyone for reading! we're almost out!


	28. We Won

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A victory lap.

Angus and Taako and the rest of the group stumbled down the stairs of the courthouse, finding the entirety of the Bureau of Balance and most of their friends huddled around the building. There were so many of them, journalists and reporters couldn't get through. Good. They didn't need to be endlessly questioned--the only thing that really mattered was that Taako won the case, and Angus was in his care. Other questions were too private to be published in the papers. They'd hear about Violet later, they could put those pieces together.

Once they were seen flying down the stairs, with that excited look plastered on all their faces, the crowd could guess how the trial went along by themselves. The Bureau was overjoyed, whoops and hollers acting as a sound blockage between Taako, Angus, and the press. They'd be able to speak freely here. The rest of the family turned to wave and smile at their friends, informing them of the win. They'd have to find a way to celebrate--doing this on a sidewalk in front of the courthouse wasn't ideal.

"Okay, so my first order of business as your legal guardian..." Taako twirled a finger in the air, and then pointed it directly at Angus' nose. "Is to ground the _fuck_ out of you, for pulling such a dumbass stunt like that!"

Angus bat his hand away, grimacing. "What are you talking about?"

"You were trying to get Violet to hit you on purpose," he said, bopping Angus' nose a little too firmly.

"Of course I did it on purpose, how else did you expect us to win?"

"We were going to break her down! It was going to be fine!" He let out a breath, speaking to himself. "That was so fucking reckless." Taako knelt down and took Angus' chin in his hands, inspecting his cheek. "If this bruises, I'm suing the shit out of her."

"Weren't we going to do that anyway?" Angus stepped backwards, hand on his cheek.

"Well, yeah, but this builds up the case." Taako shrugged and stood back up, making no efforts to look at his cheek again. "Seems like you're fine. Physically, at least."

Lup turned around from shouting at the crowd, eyes on Taako and Angus. She whispered something to Barry, walked over, and knocked Taako upside the head as she made her way to Angus. She stood in front of Angus and positioned herself so they could be at eye level, which was kind of a chore--he wasn't short enough so she could kneel down, but he wasn't tall enough so she could stand up straight. Lup had to hold her knees in an awkward half-bend while she spoke to him.

"How're you doing, little man?"

"Pretty great!" Angus smiled wide. He felt like crying, but in the best way possible. "Thank you for fighting so hard!"

"Anytime, kid." Lup rummaged through her bag, holding up one finger to get Angus to wait. "Oh, hey, got a present for you. Was saving it for when we got out of this whole fucking mess." She pulled out a small necklace box, made of shitty cardboard and bleached white.

"Can I open it now?" he asked.

"No, I wanted to give you a box that you couldn't open for another four hours." Lup rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course you can open it, Angus!"

The box wasn't wrapped or held together by any adhesive, so Angus was able to lift the top off without any resistance. Inside was one bit of tissue paper, and the silhouette of something metal behind it. Angus peeled back the paper and saw one single spoon. Little speckles and stars were carved into the handle. It was the color of cast iron, but with the finish of silver--Angus wasn't sure what kind of metal it was, but it was dark and magical.

"This isn't from my grandpa's silverware set, is it?" he asked, turning the spoon over in his hands a few times.

"Nope! Completely original." Lup pat Angus on the back, a bit too firm. "And I've got a bunch more like that, but you can't have it yet. You'll get the rest in installments."

He flashed her a wry smile. "I hope this doesn't come off as ungrateful, but I already have a lot of silverware, Aunt Lup."

"But that's all your grandpa's. None of it is that Angus McDonald brand, you know? Gotta start building that now." She took the spoon out of his hands and put it back in the box. "I know Taako's going to roll out your old silverware through the years, but, also? Fuck, I think you need something that's new, and all your own." Lup handed the box back to him. "If that's a shitty gift idea, let me know."

"It's not shitty! I like that idea a lot, Aunt Lup." He leapt forward to hug her. "Thank you so much!"

She grinned, hugging him back just as tight. Taako grumbled something under his breath and walked over to the scene.

"Augh, fuck, Lup, what're you doing?"

Lup swatted him away. "I'm having a loving family moment with my nephew, fuck off!" Angus laughed and held on for dear life. The twins would knock him to the ground with the roughhousing if he wasn't careful.

Taako elbowed her. "Be careful with him, I've only got one boy!"

"I'm not going to _break_ him, dumbass!" Lup laughed and tousled Angus' hair a bit. _"Fuck,_ your dad is dumb."

"I'm right _here,"_ Taako said, exasperated.

Angus shrugged once, his shoulders reaching all the way up to his ears. "I'm glad we're not related by blood, I wouldn't want to inherit that."

Lup bounced once on the balls of her feet and hugged Angus a second time. _"Hell yeah,_ I don't know where you got that mouth from, but _I'm loving it!"_ She pat him twice on the shoulders with both hands and stepped backwards. "Glad to have you here, kid." Taako barely acknowledged the dig, aside from a snort and a lack of eye contact.

"Thanks, Aunt Lup," Angus said, and slipped the box into his vest pocket.

She smiled, and then looked over her shoulder and nodded to the air. Mere seconds later, Davenport walked up to Taako and Angus and coughed once, pulling on the edges of his jacket and preparing for a rough conversation. Angus saw the cautious look on Lup's face and assumed she had this planned. He'd have to confirm his suspicions later. Right now, Davenport and Taako watched each other like two cats about to start a fight, and Angus stayed on guard.

"Taako," he said, as neutral as possible.

"Captain," Taako answered, barely an acknowledgement.

The captain straightened up his posture, trying to seem as big as possible. "I know we've both said some things to each oth--"

Taako held out one finger, stopping Davenport in his tracks. "I don't want to hear it." He held Angus close to his side, his jaw uncomfortably tight. "I'm trying to celebrate today. I don't need this."

The captain threw his arms against his side, tired. "You're not even going to listen to me?"

"No. Not today. Not until Candlenights, at _least."_   Taako took a full pause, his eyes darting from Angus to Davenport. Finally, he cleared his throat, and added, "but you're invited to dinner. If you want." When Davenport didn't immediately answer, he followed up with, "we're having crab."

Davenport relaxed a little. "Thank you. That sounds great."

"Of course it sounds great, I'm making it." Taako kept blabbering on, like the awkward silence had a chance of murdering him. "And that shitty lavender butter sauce, too. I mean, of course, the garlic butter sauce will be the one people _actually_ use, but, I've heard the lavender butter is--it's some kind of Faerun thing."

"It's not," Lup said, with the smuggest grin she could muster. "I think it used to be really popular with the gnomes on our home planet."

Taako grimaced at her through gritted teeth. "I think you're remembering _wrong."_

"Mm-mm, I can keep pret-ty good track of that sort of thing!" Lup pat him on the shoulder approvingly. She waved at Davenport. "See you tonight, Captain."

Davenport nodded once and turned around to leave. "Of course."

"Wait, Captain Davenport!" Angus ran up to him before he could leave the crowd. "I'd like to ask you something first."

He smiled, more warm towards Angus than to Taako. "Anything, Angus."

"I wanted to ask about the will. That--that didn't seem like something my grandfather would write down." Angus looked down at his feet, kicking at a rock that sat next to his shoe. "He always cared more about that silverware than me. I don't know why he'd put that in the will, it doesn't make any sense."

"That's because he didn't write it." Davenport let go of the will, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. He waggled his fingers in the air and smiled. "Illusion magic."

Angus needed a good minute to emotionally process _that whole thing._ A few people in the crew and the BOB ran over to check--nope, that will was _definitely_ fake. Not even a little bit real. They chattered excitedly around Angus and Davenport, forming a barrier between them and the press. They wouldn't be able to hear them talking about all this _illegal shit_ they just did.

"So that _wasn't real?"_ Angus asked in a whisper, through grit teeth. "Can't we get in trouble for that?"

"You really think they're going to look into this document after everything that happened in that courtroom?" Davenport placed his hands behind his back, as if giving a report. "This was only supposed to buy enough time for someone to sign official papers. But then that whole scene happened, and, I suppose we don't really need it anymore, do we?"

"Holy _shit,_ Captain." Taako marched over to Davenport and Angus, leaning over to see the empty space where the document used to be. "You really did that?"

"It wasn't to apologize. I still think you have a lot to do before you're ready to take Angus in." He looked in between Taako and Angus, speaking slowly. "But I did give him a choice, and he still chose you, so I'm just going to have to respect that."

"You better." The gears turned above Taako's head, and Angus could see him doing some mental math. Eventually, whatever cost-benefit equation he ran through his brain came out, and he asked, "why'd you do it if you hate the idea of me taking care of him so much?"

"I don't hate the idea, I just--" Davenport's voice caught in his throat, and he had to let out a breath to get it going again. "It's so much work, Taako. You have to know that."

"It's better than leaving him with that fucking nightmare family."

"And that's why I'm okay with it, in the end. You obviously care for Angus, even if it's not what I would expect you to do...but with the rest of the crew around, I know Angus will be fine. But it will take me some...time to trust you with something this big."

"You know what, that's fine, don't--I don't need your fuckin'--approval, on this, or anything."  Taako shrugged, trying his best to seem nonchalant. "I'll be better than Merle was, at least, in the beginning."

Merle turned his head and yelled at Taako. "I can hear you, asshole!"

"I'm sure you will," Davenport said, purposefully ignoring Merle. "Remember that I have one of the forks. So that means you're welcome on my ship at any time, Angus. It should be nice in the summer."

Angus smiled. "Thank you, sir. I'll visit."

"See you tonight, then." Davenport disappeared in the crowd, and the people around them dispersed. The press thinned out past the wall of BOB members. They must have realized that Taako and Angus weren't going to speak to them. Angus kept looking around, trying his best to find anything suspicious. Just because they won didn't mean that they were completely safe. He didn't see any threats, just a very nervous-looking Kravitz on the edge of the crowd. He pulled at his tie, trying very hard to step forward towards Taako and Angus, but chickened out every time.

Angus pulled at the edge of Taako's cape and whispered, pointing in Kravitz' direction. "Sir, I think you're being watched."

Taako looked off where Angus pointed and his shoulders fell. "Augh, fuck. I knew this was gonna happen--hold on."

"What's going to happen, sir?"

"Well, like, c'mon! I've got a kid now, he's obviously going to break up with me." Taako spoke a bit too quickly, feigning nonchalance but missing the mark wildly. "It's fine, not your fault."

Angus watched Kravitz fidgeting. "I don't think that's what he's going to do."

"You got proof, Mr. Detective?"

"I think he's just nervous. Doesn't look like he wants to intrude." He looked up at Taako and pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "And I've pretty much got him wrapped around my finger. I don't think he's seen a kid in a couple hundred years."

"You're a menace," Taako said, a bit more relaxed than he had been moments before. "Be right back, okay?"

Angus stayed in place for all of two seconds before Magnus caught his eye. He ran over, waving at Magnus and calling out for him. "Oh, sir!"

"Ango!" Magnus turned around and scooped Angus up in a hug. He kept holding him--even if Angus was eleven, and not a size that's easily picked-up, Magnus was huge and could hold four times Angus' weight. "What're you doing over here? Go hang out with your dad!"

"I will. He's off talking with someone else. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me during the trial." Angus smiled, a bit guilty. "Sorry if I was difficult."

"Hey, I think kids should be a little rambunctious." Magnus set Angus back down on the ground and flexed his muscles. "I know I was!"

"I don't doubt that at all," Angus said, adjusting his clothes from the disruption. "May I come visit you when you move back to Raven's Roost, sir?"

"You're welcome anytime." Magnus swung his arm across his chest, giving a big thumbs-up. "You can help train the dogs! They need to learn to be gentle around young kids."

"I'm not _that_   young."

"That's kind of the point--babies and toddlers, they think those are puppies and most of 'em will be real gentle. And teenagers look like adults to them," Magnus said, and Angus was actually impressed with how knowledgeable he was with the subject. "They get rougher with those in-between ages, since they think you're old enough to play rough with."

He nodded. "As long as I won't be mauled by dogs, I would be happy to help out."

"I second that, Mags, if you tear my boy to shreds with dogs, we're going to have to have words." Taako approached them, eyes going between Magnus and Angus. Kravitz followed close behind.

_"Just_ words?"

"Words _and_   pain."

Magnus laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it." He looked around, watching the nervous tint in Taako's face and the way Kravitz looked like he had something to say. He could read the mood. "I've got to go clean up my rental, I'm moving out in a few days. See the rest of you tonight?"

"Yes, sir!" Angus said, and Taako followed up with a bored hum.

Taako waited all of two seconds after Magnus was gone before throwing Kravitz under the bus. "Agnes, Krav's got something to say to you."

Angus grinned up at Kravitz, a little bit evil but not mean. "Does he?"

"Yes, I do." Kravitz coughed. "Well, first, I--congratulations on winning the trial. I'm very glad you're safe now."

"Thank you for bringing the silverware," Angus said, "the whole thing went a lot smoother because you did!"

"It was the least I could do." Kravitz fidgeted with his cufflinks, shifting between staring at the ground and staring at the space right above Angus' head. "I wanted to ask if it's--alright with you, for me to continue dating your father. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Angus couldn't help but laugh at that. Taako joined in, slapping his knee. Kravitz seemed pissed off that he wasn't being taken seriously.

"This isn't funny!" Kravitz glared at Taako, murder in his eyes. "Taako, you said you wouldn't laugh."

"The kid laughed, you think I have the mental willpower to hold this back?" Taako wiped a tear from his eye as his laughs and giggles calmed down. "Fuck, Angus, you should answer him before he pees his pants."

"Sir, I don't mind you dating Taako at all, as long as you're not out to hurt him." Angus offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "And I'll be off at university for most of the year anyway, you won't see much of me."

"Oh." Kravitz seemed a bit disappointed by the second half of the answer, but his nerves fell away after hearing the first part. "Well, thank you."

Angus crossed his arms, smug. "You can visit if you'd like."

Kravitz brightened up a bit. "Could I?"

"I wouldn't offer it if I didn't mean it, sir." Angus stuck out his lower lip. "Does everyone act dumb when they start dating?"

Taako lost it again, spiraling down into another fit of laughter. Angus wasn't sure what was so funny; he just asked a question. He'd have to ask Lup later, if Taako wasn't going to take this seriously.

"I've got to get back to work, now that the trial is over," Kravitz said, rushed, embarrassed.

"You coming over for dinner tonight?" Taako asked, calming himself down after his fit.

"I think I should be able to." Kravitz called his scythe and cut a rift, farther away from Angus so that he wouldn't cut him on accident. "Congratulations again, the both of you," he said, and then stepped into the rift.

"That was _gold,_ pumpkin, keep that up," Taako said, through a couple more giggles.

"I didn't say anything funny." He rolled his eyes, but as he looked away from Taako, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Sir, over there," Angus said, pointing at the halfling that tried to sneak his way past the crowd to the stairs of the courthouse.

"Well, Mr. McElroy!" Taako stormed up to him and laughed, although it was more menacing than jolly. "Why the fuck are you showing your face around here now?"

"The judge called and said something went wrong with Violet." Mr. McElroy stopped on the stairs, about at eye level with Taako. He smiled, nervous, like he had been trying to avoid them. Would have been a smart move if Angus didn't have such keen eyes. "I've been allowed to present my evidence against her after all."

Taako just blinked at him, lazy. "A little late for that, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry. I had to protect my children." He clutched his briefcase to his side, avoiding eye contact. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything happened to them. You can understand that, can't you?"

Taako looked down to Angus. "Kind of." He grimaced at Mr. McElroy, arms crossed against his chest. "Still, kind of screwed _us_ over in the process."

"I'll make it up to you now." Mr. McElroy tapped his briefcase, smiling apologetically. "I've got quite the case against her. She may be in for life."

"If you can swing that, we'll consider it even." Taako circled his finger in the air, pointed at Mr. McElroy. "Though, I dunno how good your case is, she's really fucking rowdy."

"I've noticed. But I still think I've got a lot on her. I have witnesses." The halfling smiled and walked the rest of the way up the stairs, watching Taako over his shoulder. "Should be coming right behind me."

The pair didn't even get a chance to look for his witnesses before someone behind them shouted, "hi, Angus!"

Both Angus and Taako turned around simultaneously, as if on cue. Behind them were three young adults, all human, all vaguely similar to Angus in looks. Taako hid his worries well, but with everything that happened over the past few months, Angus knew these three unnerved him. Angus ran up to the youngest and hugged them tight, and the other two came forward to do the same. The four of them were in this awkward hug huddle, but it felt nice.

What little concern Taako had on his face flew away as soon as he figured out these three weren't dangerous. "Those are your other cousins, Angles?"

"Yes, sir!" Angus broke the hug pile and stepped backwards. "I can't believe you're all here! I haven't seen you in years!"

"Yeah, we, uh." The oldest looked off to the side, frowning. "Didn't want to see mom."

The other two nodded, quiet and sad.

"But we couldn't pass up the opportunity to act as witnesses against this," the oldest one said, shoving the silence away for something more upbeat. "It always seemed like a long shot, but, maybe things will be better this time."

"And we're actually reconnecting! None of us have seen each other since we've moved out." The middlest one smiled, a bit shy. "It's nice."

"It sure is," said Chuck, excitedly, throwing an arm over one of his siblings.

"Chuck!" Angus ran forward and hugged him with full force. "You're witnessing too?"

"Yeah. It's kind of nerve-wracking, but..." Chuck smiled. "I think it'll work best if we all do it."

"We didn't even know he was still alive," said the oldest cousin, "it's great to all be together again. We were thinking of getting together for Passover this year, if you wanted to join us."

Taako's ears perked up at that. "Your, uh--your family celebrates Passover?"

"Oh--yeah. We do." Angus turned to watch Taako, nervous. "Um, is that alright?"

"C'yeah, more than alright." Taako started chattering on excitedly, hands gesturing wildly. "Lup and I used to, but, then, y'know...uh, the Hunger, and all that jazz. Didn't even celebrate Candlenights some years, it, uh. Wasn't the place for it. Haven't done it in a while, and, it might be celebrated differently than it was on our home planet?"

"Done what in a while?" Lup asked, rushing over at the sound of her name.

"Passover," Taako answered.

Lup brightened up. "Oh, shit, we can actually do that now! Y'know, since the world isn't getting destroyed every year."

"You're both more than welcome to join in, too," the oldest said. "It's better when there's more people."

Taako nodded. "Yeah, sure. We've got Chuck's stone frequency, we'll, uh--we'll give you a ring."

"Thanks!" All four of the siblings waved them goodbye. They had to go prepare statements and get everything ready. After a few more hugs and some planning, they walked into the courthouse and out of sight.

"Wait a minute," Angus said, puffing his cheeks out, "why are you making crab if we can't have it?"

"Y'know, Lup and I fell out of practice during the whole Hunger thing." Taako shrugged Angus off with a handwave, but his answer came too quick and too defensive. "S'not like there was enough kosher stuff in every plane we visited. We would have been shitty arcanists if we died of starvation."

"You could have gotten back into it during the ten years I was away," Lup pointed out. "And to be fair, you probably could have kept it in, hmm, at least seventy five percent of the planes we visited."

Taako froze in the way he always did when he got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. Lup hollered out in laughter, hit Taako so hard on the back he had to catch himself from falling over. Angus wasn't amused.

"Lazy," Lup said, laughing under her breath.

"Well, I'd prefer to keep kosher, sir." Angus smiled. 

"Okay,  _fine,_ I guess that means I'm making two different meals today," Taako said, although he didn't look annoyed at all. 

"We should get back to the apartment," Lup said, urgent, with her hand on Taako's shoulder.

"Why's that?" Taako panicked, even though he did a pretty good job of hiding it. If Lup was upset, he followed right behind her.

She shot him a wicked grin, saying nothing. Silent. Unwavering. Barry stood behind her, wearing a similar grin. Taako went from panicked to fearful--Lup had a _plan,_ and judging by the look on her face, it was a nasty one.

_"Lup, what are you doing?"_   Taako stepped close to Barry, whacking his arm and hoping answers would fall out. "Barry, tell me what she's doing."

Barry cleared his throat, tilted his head so the light would shine off his glasses _just right._ "Baby shower."

"What the-- _are you two out of your minds?"_   Taako threw his arms into the air. "Agnes, put on your disguise spell, we've got to go on the run again."

"I'm not a baby, Aunt Lup," Angus said, a bit peeved.

She laughed. "In elf years, you are."

"I'm not an elf!"

Lup ignored him and cut a rift to the apartment, specifically to the hallway connecting the bedrooms. "What _ever,_ just get ready for tonight. Don't go into the living room, rest of the apartment is fair game."

Taako glared at her as he stepped through the rift. Angus copied the motion.

"Aw, he's like your shadow," Lup said, pinching Angus' cheek. She closed the rift and left the two of them there to sulk.

"I hate this, sir," Angus said, turning his head to Taako.

"I do too." Taako held a firm hand on his shoulder. "Can't run away, though, got to stay in town so I can sign your papers."

"I _guess."_ Angus huffed.

"Whatever, go change into something a little less nerdy. If we're going to do this, you can't walk around like the world's youngest businessman." Taako pushed him towards the door to his room.

Angus wanted to object, but thought better of it. If he dressed more casually, maybe he wouldn't be called a baby so much. The tiny boy vest didn't help his case. He walked into his room, straight for the dresser. He pulled out the drawer and grimaced. Most of his clothes were very fancy. This wasn't going to work.

"I wasn't joking about grounding you," Taako said, leaning on his door frame. "That was real."

Angus turned on his heel and gawked over at Taako. "What, really?"

"Really."

"You can't do that!" Angus shut the drawer. "We won the trial because I got hit."

"She was going to break anyway, that wasn't--whatever, I'm not fighting you on this. You're grounded. That was so fucking reckless."

Angus leaned his weight on the dresser. "You haven't signed anything, you don't have the authority."

"I will, tomorrow. And then you'll be grounded."

"What about today?" he asked, smirking.

"Nah, you can do whatever the fuck you want today." Taako shrugged, prying himself off the door frame. "I'm not your dad."

"That excuse isn't going to work soon," Angus teased.

"Yeah, but I'm using it as much as I can before then." Taako held the door, about to shut it, but he hesitated. "Hey, uh. Real glad you're safe, by the way."

"Thanks, sir." Angus opened the drawer back up, focused on his previous task of finding something suitable to wear. "Should I still call you sir?"

"Listen, call me whatever the fuck you want, except for dad, because that's givin' me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it."

"Sir it is, then." Angus picked up the only t-shirt he owned: a mended Jeff Angel shirt he got on his birthday. Jeff Angel was crossed out, and written in bold, red letters was I'MORKO. "Do you think this would work?"

Taako nodded. "If you've still got those shitty jlacks that Barold gave you, that won't be half bad." He closed the door, leaving Angus alone. "I'll be out here, trying to fuckin'--emotionally process this shitty thing Lup's done."

Angus smiled, and got himself ready for the most embarrassing family get-together of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [this is also a disclaimer, I am not Jewish, but I've done my research before writing Jewish angus and Jewish taako--please keep in mind that because i've explicitly stated that taako is Jewish in this fic, he isn't green or blue. also if you're Jewish and there's something you find wrong with how I've approached anything, let me know and I'll fix it! thanks]
> 
> [EDIT: has been brought to my attention that I should have been clearer that taako isn't following kosher on purpose--this has been mended!]
> 
> so there are two chapters left.........I know I've already said they'e both epilogue-type chapters, so get hype for those?? is everyone ready for the end????
> 
> thanks for reading, as always!


	29. At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako takes Angus to the house.

"Sir, are you coming to pick me up?" Angus asked, after waiting on the stone steps of Lucas' school for half an hour.

Taako answered immediately. "I thought they were taking you to the dorms."

"No. This was just a scholarship meeting. The semester doesn't start until January."

A few curses from the other end, and the sound of boxes getting kicked over. "Ten minutes, I'll be right over."

Angus waited on the steps, stone in hand and briefcase in the other. Even though the school hadn't opened yet, there were still students and parents all around getting ready. A few stopped and recognized Angus. The custody case got a lot of press outside of Goldcliff because of Taako's presence. Questions about it were already on the bar test for lawyers. Thankfully, no pictures of Angus were ever posted in the paper, just his name--if he ever did any more detective work, he'd have to work under an alias. He was only recognized by really big fans of Taako, or people from wealthy families that knew the McDonalds.

He was in the middle of saying goodbye to a particularly excitable transmutation student when he saw Taako _booking it_   down the sidewalk. Angus laughed to himself and ran up to meet him. Once Taako saw him, though, he slowed his pace and acted like he wasn't just running full speed down the sidewalk.

"You ran here?" Angus asked, with that _I know what you were doing_ look on his face.

"Cha'boy doesn't _run,_ Agnes, that _exerts_ energy." Taako leaned on the stone wall that lined the school, disguising his heavy breathing as exaggerated, dramatic sighs. "I'm not one for labor."

"Of course you're not." Angus covered his mouth to hide his grin. "Where are we going?"

"The house." He flipped an arm over his eyes, dialing up the drama even more.

Angus blinked, surprised. "You--have a house?"

Taako peeked an eye out from under his arm. "I needed an address when I signed your deed."

"You--you mean my adoption papers?"

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other." Taako pried himself off the stone wall, pulling at one of his earrings as a nervous tick. "Anyway, Taako's tired of bein' on the road, and you need a place to stay during breaks, so..."

"So you _bought_ a house." Angus stared up at him in a mixture of awe, confusion, and glee.

"I'm famous now, baby. And fuckin' bold of you to complain about my house when, oh, look at that! You _do_ need a place to stay." Taako walked off in the direction he came from, motioning a lazy _this way_ command with his hand. "C'mon, follow me."

Taako kept one eye on Angus the entire time, blocking him from wagons as they crossed the street together and forcing the boy to stay at his side. He turned them both invisible as they went through large crowds--didn't want crazed fans following them home. The two walked past some suburban areas and some modern apartments, but none seemed to be Taako's destination. Angus kept an eye out, wondering what sort of house Taako would choose. He imagined something big and loud, maybe on the gaudy side.

They stopped in front of a disaster.

It was an old Queen Anne style house, wedged in between two larger homes. Looked like somebody got a hold of the tiny space of land in between the other two and decided to squeeze a house inside. Three stories tall, a desperate attempt to get more floor space into the tiny spot it occupied. There was a large glass dome at the back of the house, but Angus couldn't see what was inside. The houses on either side both had tall fences, but this house had one single wall of a fence, connected directly to the other two. The paint chipped, plants grew on the walls, windows were boarded up. Taako didn't seem bothered by the dilapidated house. He threw his bag over the fence and planned out his route to jump the fence.

"Sir?" Angus paused at the gate, nervously eyeing the building. "Are you sure this is your house?"

"Yeah, why?" Taako asked, vaulting himself over the fence. He extended a hand for Angus to take.

"It looks like you're breaking in." Angus kept his hand on his chest and frowned.

"Oh, guess it does," he said, and huffed out a laugh. "No, it was foreclosed so it was cheap as fuck. But, uh, I still need the locksmith to come fix some shit." Taako looked out into the yard. "Just figured it was easier to hop on in like this instead of wasting a spell slot unlocking everything."

Angus blinked. "I'm surprised you bought a house that needs work done."

Taako waved his hand in the air, dismissive. "Nah, there's no mold, it's, uh, it's _stable_ , it's all just--fuckin', cosmetic shit. The last owner was just a slob. And a criminal." He extended his hand out to Angus again. "And I'm a bomb-ass wizard, you think I'm fixing any of this shit with my hands?"

"There are house-fixing spells?" This time, Angus took the hand and pushed himself up on the fence. "Can I learn some of those and help out?"

"Guess so, it would save a bunch of my spell slots." Taako pulled him up with what little strength he had, helping him balance on the wall of the gate. "And if you don't mind duck carvings in the walls, maybe we can outsource some of the harder shit to Magnus." Taako swung his legs over the other side of the wall, about to jump down. "C'mon, let's get in there."

Angus looked down at the ground and immediately regret the decision. Unconsciously, he moved closer to Taako, gripping his cloak tight. He didn't want to look scared to jump down, and he wasn't, it was just...a very steep fall for someone his height. He'd be fine if he were as tall as Taako. Angus analyzed the ground below him, looking for a bush or something soft he could land on or in. 

Taako tapped his arm and broke Angus out of his train of thought. "Hey, did I ever teach you how to cast featherfall?"

"You didn't."

"Okay, listen up, this'll be quick." Taako fished his spare wand out from under his hat. He never used the deadly glaive while teaching Angus magic. "It'll be stupid easy compared to the rest of your spells, but pay attention."

Angus reached into his vest for his wand, smiled, and listened.

* * *

He should have listened harder.

Angus groaned and opened his eyes. He saw the sky, mostly clouds, and Taako above him, still perched on the fence. It was a good thing Taako cast featherfall on him at the last second, because Angus completely flubbed the spell. The height distracted him. His head was halfway in a bush, mostly dead twigs and dry leaves--the greenery around the house hadn't been tended to in years. Angus saw the worried look on Taako's face and gave him a weak thumbs-up.

"Okay," Taako said, wand still pointed squarely at Angus' chest, "Okay, maybe we should have tried that one out on solid ground first. You good?"

"I'm alright." Angus sat up, pulling twigs and brush out of his hair. "Not any worse than getting thrown off a moving train."

"Wow, whoever did that to you must have been an asshole." Taako laughed and jumped down the fence. He didn't help Angus to his feet, but he watched how he moved. Looked for injuries. Once he saw that Angus felt fine, he relaxed.

"I just hope you have keys for the front door," Angus said, walking towards the porch.

"About that--"

Angus turned around, little hands balled into fists. _"Sir!"_

"No, listen, it'll be easier to get inside than it was to hop the fence." Taako crooked his finger and led Angus to the side of the house. There was a lower window boarded up with cheap wood, but from the inside. Like someone had set it up there previously. "Just have to move this board out of the way."

"That's not so bad, but you're really doing a bad job of showing me that we're not breaking into this house."

"I'll show you the paperwork as soon as we get in, you little weirdo." Taako pushed the board and the window forward, and it tipped into the house with a thud. Taako laced both his hands together and held it under the window frame. "C'mon, I'll give you a boost."

Angus glared at Taako, but raised his foot up into his hands. He grabbed onto Taako's shoulder, and after he was secure, Taako lifted his arm. Angus crawled through the lowest section of the window--watched his head, because there was a bit of broken glass up at the top of the window--and stepped inside. He walked into the room proper. It wasn't anything fancy, just a storage and laundry room. Some crap was strewn about--a few linens and mattress laid in the corner of the room. Angus waited for Taako to vault his way up into the house, and noticed the door at the back.

"Sir, is that door unlocked?"

"What door?" he asked, squeezing himself through the window.

_"That_ door." Angus stepped to the door. It had a bit of decorative glass set into the front. Definitely a door that lead outside. He turned the handle. "It's unlocked."

"Huh. Guess I didn't see it." Taako made his way into the room and jiggled the handle. "Could have been using this back door this whole time."

Angus hid his face in his hands. "You're the _worst."_

"Hey, nothing like breaking into your own house to build a little character, huh?" Taako pat him on the back. "And besides, now you know how to sneak out when you're a dumb teenager."

"I could just use magic to get outside."

"Tough words for someone who couldn't get featherfall to work." Taako laughed and left the laundry room. "C'mon, I'll show you the papers so you know this is official."

Angus followed right behind, afraid to take too many steps away from Taako. The whole house was dark, and he didn't want to step on any debris. Taako muttered something under his breath and the room lit up. The first floor was mostly open, except for the laundry room they had just left, a bathroom, and a set of sliding doors on the back wall. The kitchen overlooked two larger blank spaces, which were probably meant to be living and dining spaces. Right now, there was only a few scattered pieces of beat-up furniture and lots of dust. The wallpaper peeled a bit and the windows were broken and boarded up, but the hardwood was nice and the kitchen was huge.

"Now--I haven't furnished the whole thing yet, so no judging. There's only, like, two mattresses and a pile of adventuring gear in here right now." Taako blew some dust out of his hands and walked to the kitchen counter. "So you've just gotta deal with lean living for a bit."

"It's--nice, sir," Angus said, eyes wide as he scanned the space.

He shrugged. "I mean, it's dusty, but, if you say so."

"But it's got good bones!" Angus followed him into the kitchen.

"You sound like real estate agent." Taako pat Angus on the head, a bit condescending, but par for the course from him. "Don't have to sell me the house, pumpkin, I've already dropped a down payment on it like a responsible adult."

Angus rolled his eyes. "Oh, good to know that we aren't squatting."

"That mouth of yours is going to get you in big trouble." Taako sifted through a few papers he left on the counter and handed Angus a small stack. "Here."

Angus took the paperwork and inspected it closely. He wouldn't put it past Taako to forge a deed to this house. But the paper wasn't an illusion and it definitely wasn't forged, so Angus knew it was safe. Everything looked normal, except... "You bought this house for _four hundred gold?"_

Taako grinned. "Yeah. Someone got murdered in here, and people were complaining about ghosts, so it was a super cheap deal."

"Someone was _murdered_ here?" Angus frowned and put the papers back in their place.

"Well, uh. Actually. Four someones. It wasn't really a mystery, so, it's not like it's something you could solve." Taako hopped up onto the counter, sitting on the paperwork and scrunching some of it up. "Some dude went off and murdered his whole family. The wife, the baby, the kids--super fucking gruesome. Blood everywhere."

"That's horrible."

"I know, straight people need to get their fucking acts together." Taako sucked in air through his teeth and looked down at Angus. "Uh, unless _you're_   straight?"

Angus thought about it, and then shook his head. "How am I supposed to know? I'm eleven."

"Point taken." Taako jumped off the counter to stand next to Angus. "Anyway, if you're worried about ghosts, _don't be,_ we've got a million different ways of dealing with them. I'm sure Lup'll throw them in the stockade if you tell her you're afraid of 'em."

"I'm not afraid of ghosts." Angus left Taako's side and explored the rest of the first floor, still in his sight. The house was nice, Angus hadn't lied about that, but it would need a bit of work. Most of the work would be done using magic, which was probably why Taako was willing to buy it in the first place, but it would cost a whole days' worth of slots to do each section of the house. He wondered if they should work on the bedrooms first, or the kitchen--no, wait, they could do the kitchen in the morning. Sleeping was more important. And if Taako was right, if he really did have some mattresses laying around, at least they could stay the night. It wouldn't be super comfortable, but both of them had slept through worse.

Taako had a hand on Angus' back, breaking him out of his strategic thinking. "Now, Angles, I know what you're thinking--"

"You literally do not, sir--"

"You're thinking: Where's all the Pipis?"

Angus gawked up at him, not sure how he could even _begin_ to respond to that. Taako winked and smiled before leading him upstairs. They passed by a few guest rooms, all of them empty. He led Angus to a room at the end of the hall, larger than the guest rooms. A ceramic sign painted with floral designs hung on the door. It simply read: _Pipis room._

"Oh _there_ it is!" Taako exclaimed, both palms open an gesturing towards the sign.

He mustered up his most convincing look of disappointment and raised a brow at Taako. "Sir, I'm starting to think I should have let myself be killed by those necromancers."

"Fine, don't go inside." Taako turned around and walked off. "Find somewhere else to sleep."

"You put a sign with the word _Pipis_ on the door to my room?" Angus ran up to the door and grabbed at the sign. No way was he keeping this on.

"I thought you'd be grateful."

Angus' fingers skidded around the edges of the sign. "It's _bolted_ on!"

"C'yeah, have to make sure you don't go around _changing_ things." Taako opened the door to one of the guest rooms and peeked inside, inspecting it as Angus lost his shit over the Pipis sign.

"You're so _embarrassing!"_

Taako fucking _cackled,_ pleased that his goof went off so well. Even if the Pipis sign was probably the worst thing that could be affixed to his door, Angus was glad that Taako was still willing to pull goofs on him. He had been worried that would change once he was adopted. Angus still planned on taking the sign off using whatever magic he could at a later time, but he figured it would be nice to leave it for now. He wanted to see the room he was working with.

Angus opened the door and--

_"SIR!"_

The door opened up to a bricked-out wall. Angus leveled the most intimidating glare an eleven year old could muster, but it only made Taako laugh harder. Angus placed both his palms on the wall and it disappeared--at least it was an illusion. He let Taako laugh himself out, instead going to inspect his room.

The room was smaller than the one he grew up in, but considering he lived in a minimansion for a good chunk of his infancy, that wasn't a big deal. It was larger than the room he had in the temporary Goldcliff apartment, but Angus wasn't much concerned with size. Most important thing was that this room was safe, and in Taako's house. The only furniture in the room was the single mattress was shoved in the corner. Angus put his briefcase to the side of the door. Even though the room was empty, it was _nice._ There was a curved wall in the back with what looked like a window seat, but the only windows were on the walls to the left and right. It was still a cute little area, though, and Angus could picture himself reading or studying there. Off to the side of the curved wall was a door leading to the back of the house. Angus reached for the knob, but Taako stopped him.

"Don't go in there yet, pumpkin." He wedged himself in between Angus and the door. "Surprise for later."

"Oh, alright." Angus smiled. "The rest of the room is very nice, though! Thank you so much."

Taako kept his lips tight to hide his smile, instead lifting a hand to adjust his hat and brag. "A'course it's nice, it's in _my_ house."

"Where's your room, then?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"Upstairs." He grabbed at the collar of Angus' shirt before he could run off. "Nope, nuh-uh, kids don't get to see it until I've got it all fixed up there."

"Fixed?" Angus broke out of Taako's hold.

Taako pointed upward. "There's a hole in the ceiling."

Angus looked up to the ceiling, as if the hole was right above them. "I'm surprised you're sleeping there."

"I won't be, I'm just taking one of the rooms down the hall." To make his point, Taako nudged his head towards the hallway. "I own the house, I can sleep wherever I want."

"That's true, I guess." Angus looked back towards the door Taako forbade him to go through. "What was that big glass thing at the back of the house? Is that where the door leads to?"

Taako let out an entirely too dramatic, put-upon sigh. "Guess I've gotta show you, huh? C'mon, it'll be better if we see it from downstairs."

They left Angus' room and walked down the hall. Angus ran to the stairs, but Taako turned sharply to the left.

"That's not the way to the stairs, sir," Angus said, backtracking to follow Taako.

"I know." Taako opened a hatch in the wall and pointed two finger guns at it. "Check it: laundry chute."

Angus lifted his head to look inside, careful he didn't leave an opening for Taako to push him down the chute. "I don't think that's safe."

"I already rigged it so it was."

"You're insane."

"And you still chose to live with me." Taako opened the chute a little farther, trying to make it look enticing. "C'mon, ride it _at least_ once."

Angus looked nervously at the chute. "Only if you ride it first," he said, because if Taako was willing to do it, it probably wasn't rigged or trapped.

"Was already planning on it, kid." Taako hooked his leg inside the chute and swung his weight towards the wall before dipping his other leg in. He saluted Angus and slid down the chute. Angus ran to the opening and watched him fall down, but it was too dark to see where he landed, exactly. He heard a crash, a curse, and then Taako said, "Alright, got--got the math wrong on that one, but, I'll just move this--and _this--_ it should be fine, come on down!"

He considered casting featherfall on himself as he slid down, but Angus had already failed that spell today and he felt like he needed to keep his spell slots. Angus figured he should go ahead and do it. It wouldn't be the most dangerous thing he's ever done before. He'd fought the Hunger and spent two months living on his own and solved murders before, he could slide down a rickety laundry chute.

Angus pulled himself into the chute, holding onto the edge. He let go and pushed himself down as Taako called for him again.

He only fell for a few seconds before hitting something hard and then falling onto a soft surface. Angus opened his eyes. There was a Fantasy Casper mattress underneath him, and also two arms. Looked like Taako had tried to catch him, failed, and then fell underneath Angus instead.

"Did you try to catch me?" he asked, holding back a laugh.

"Shut up." Taako pulled his arms out from under Angus and stood up. "You were so nervous about the chute, I thought I'd be _nice_ and help out, but, fine. Call me out."

"Thank you, sir, but I'm alright." Angus got to his feet and stepped off the mattress.

"Good," Taako said, sounding more relieved than he looked. He walked out of the laundry room and Angus followed. "Come on, it's this way."

Taako approached the sliding doors on the back wall of the living room, right below where the extra door in Angus' room was. Angus followed behind and stood in front of the door with him, so they could both see what was inside once the door was slid open.

"Uh, so, this part--it's empty, of fucking course, so you'll just have to imagine what it'll look like full." He held on to both handles, preparing to throw them open. "But, uh, it's kind of the reason I bought the place, so, hope you like it."

Taako pushed the sliding doors open and a cloud of dust hit both of them in the face. Angus coughed, wiping dust from his face and waited for the cloud to clear. But as soon as the dust settled, Angus could see _exactly_ what Taako was talking about.

The whole room was shaped like a silo, tall and cylindrical. Three floors tall, with a balcony circling the edge of the second and third floors. Shelves lined every wall, and between the shelves on the back wall were long stained glass windows. It was a library, although there were no books stocked inside yet. A staircase lined the wall from the second floor balcony to the third floor--there weren't any stairs leading up to the second balcony, but Angus could see the door that connected his room to the second floor balcony. Above the third floor walkway was another set of stairs and a dome of glass leading up to a sun room.

The whole room was void of furniture, except for a crumbling library ladder and a sparkling white piano. Or, at least, it would be sparkling white, if not for the two-inch layer of brown dust that coated it. Still, Angus was drawn to it, walked over to inspect it.

"It came with the house," Taako said, following behind Angus. "If you ask nice, I'm sure Barold will play a few tunes for you."

Angus ran his hand over the side, revealing some of the white lacquer underneath and a famous logo. "I think this is an antique, sir."

"No shit." Taako pressed down on one of the keys, and the sound echoed through the whole room. Too bad it was horribly out of tune. Both Taako and Angus covered their ears, recoiling from the awful sound. "I'll have to get someone in here to tune this thing."

"And clean it," Angus added.

"Oh, that's fucking easy," he said, fishing his wand back out of his hat. With a single flick of the wrist, all the dust on the piano sprang off, leaving it perfectly shiny and clean--and leaving the area around it completely black with dust. Angus coughed and brushed dust off his front, unable to clean the grime off his glasses with his shirt.

_"SIR!"_ Angus grabbed out a cleaning cloth from his pocket, safe from the dust, and cleaned off his glasses. He looked up at Taako, who was suspiciously free of dust. "Why are you all clean?"

"Spell shaping."

Angus furrowed his brow. "I thought you're supposed to give that up when you specialize in transmutation."

"I spent a hundred fuckin' years on the run from the apocalypse, you think I don't know how to do _spell shaping?"_ Taako adjusted his hat and grinned. "The rules don't apply to me."

"Then why am _I_ covered in dust?"

"Builds character," he said, and laughed.

Angus stared, unimpressed. He started to brush the dust off, but thought better of it. He took his wand out of his vest and poofed the dust off of him and onto Taako instead. Taako blinked a few times, taken off guard by Angus' betrayal.

"You--" Taako coughed dust out of his lungs and an evil grin spread across his face. He stepped towards Angus, trying to grab him. "Okay, c'mere--"

"No!" Angus yelled, but laughed. He ran off, using the piano for cover. Taako slid out of the piano with all his elvish dexterity, catching Angus' collar as he skidded by. Angus tried to wrestle out of his grip, but not too hard. He knew that if he truly tried to escape, Taako would let him go without any problems.

But he didn't protest too hard, because it was a lot of fun to play around like this. 

He wrestled out of Taako's grip after a minute and ran away, but Taako caught back up to him easily. Angus snorted, laughed, told him to fuck off--

Angus clasped his hands over his mouth. Oh, _no._ He just told Taako to fuck off. He looked up expecting some disapproving look, but Taako was practically beaming at him. Hurriedly, he took out his wand and summoned a chest out of the Ethereal plane, and then took a jar stocked with gold coins out. He fished one coin out and handed it to Angus without a word.

"What's this for?" Angus asked, inspecting the coin. Sure enough, it was a genuine gold piece.

"Reverse swear jar." Taako held the jar under his arm and tapped it twice. "You're the biggest nerd I've ever met, and I've met Barry, so. That's a big fucking deal. This will make you cooler."  Taako leaned forward and touched the coin. "You say a swear, you get a coin."

"That idea's bullshit," Angus said, and then held his hand out for a coin. Taako cursed under his breath and dropped one into his hands. "How is getting me to swear more going to make me cooler?"

Taako huffed. "Swears are cool."

"That's not what Caleb Cleveland says!"

_"There it is."_   Taako swiped both of Angus' swear coins out of his hands and dropped them back into the jar. "See, when you say something like that, something that--that's so nerdy it makes my head explode--a fucking _anti-swear,_ if you will--when you say something like that, you have to put two coins back in the jar."

"Couldn't I just say two swears whenever I say something nerdy to balance it out?" Angus frowned and put his hands on his hips.

"See, that would be a couple of notches better than being a full nerd, so..." Taako walked over and slid the jar onto one of the empty bookshelves. "I'm cool with that."

Angus considered calling him a bitch so that he could get another coin, but figured he shouldn't push his luck so hard.

"Alright, kid--" Taako slid the library doors back open and stepped through, expecting Angus to follow him. "Gotta go to the market, we can't starve in this house."

Of course, Angus followed right behind. Taako walked right past the laundry room, towards the front door. That didn't make much sense. The laundry room was where they broke in, wouldn't it make the most sense if they left through that room too? Or, wait. No. They could walk right out the front door, since it unlocked from the inside. But then it'd be unlocked while they were at the market. That would be unsafe. Angus watched as Taako stood at the front door, unlocked the hatch, and walked outside.

"You comin', pumpkin?"

"Yes, sir," Angus said, suspicious, and ran out the door.

Taako closed the door behind him and took out a ring of keys from his bag. Angus kept both eyes fixed on the keys, confused out of his mind.

"Taako?" Angus craned his neck forward to try and get a better look at the keys. "Are these the keys to the house?"

"Don't know," Taako said, as he locked the door with the keys.

Angus pointed at him accusingly. "They are!"

"Huh, that's funny." Taako slid one key off the ring and handed it to Angus. "Here, that one's yours."

He took the key, but puffed his cheeks out in anger. "Sir, we didn't have to break in at all!"

"Uh, c'yeah we did." Taako walked down the front porch and used another set of keys on the front gate. Motherfucker had keys this whole time. "Family bonding."

Angus froze at that. In the few weeks that Taako was legally in charge of Angus, he hadn't made a habit of referring to them as a family. Maybe the concept still made him nervous and he had to ease into it. Breaking into his own house wasn't normally a bonding opportunity for a parent and child, but that was exactly the sort of thing Taako grew up doing. It must have been important to him to pass that onto Angus, even if he didn't need it. He stepped forward and gave Taako a tight hug. And, something about hugging his mentor and legal guardian (and dad? Even though he had no intention of calling Taako that) in front of his house really felt special. Like this wasn't just a broken down house Taako bought for four hundred gold after a monster murdered his family inside. It needed work done, and it wasn't what Angus had imagined, but it was home.

And it had been a long time since Angus had a home.

Taako ruffled his hair, teetering the line between ignoring the gesture to look noncommittal and acknowledging it to please Angus. "And now if you lose your keys, you know exactly how to get inside. You should be thanking me." He dropped a copy of the gate key into Angus' hands and walked off. "Let's move."

Making a mental note to pick up his own key ring at some point, Angus slipped his keys into his pocket and followed right beside Taako.

Neither of them acknowledged when Angus held onto Taako's hand as they crossed the busy Neverwinter streets to the open air market. Nobody on the streets acknowledged it.

That was just a normal thing parents and children did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, hope you enjoyed the first half of the epilogue for this fic! 
> 
> I still have a bunch of words written for the kind-of sequel to this? I was writing it while doing the more difficult and heavy chapters of this fic as an escape. it's not really a plot-based thing, violet doesn't come back to try and enact revenge, it's literally a collection of pieces as angus grows up (they're all actually very similar to this chapter? where it's them both being terrible). i'll probably make a series for this and put the not-quite sequel into it so it'll be easier for ya'll to find and read??? would anyone be interested in that???
> 
> also i'll say this in more words next time, but again, thanks to everyone for their support on this fic! it really means a lot to me, and ya'll have been extremely enthusiastic about this project, even when it was slow and didn't update so much
> 
> Still got one last chapter, just to wrap all of this up. it's more of an epilogue than this one was. i just really wanted to write them moving into a house


	30. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus brings a surprise home.

Taako buried his cheek in his hands as he signed acceptance letters. This wasn't his favorite part of the job, but the semester was almost over. He needed to get these out so the accepted kids could prepare. There were a lot of really promising ones this year--most of them needed scholarships and boarding, but Ren swore that the numbers worked out fine this year. On good years, he liked to take in as many kids from the street as he could. Ren tried to call him soft as a tease, but then a magic missile flew right past her head, and she dropped the subject immediately.

He waved one of the papers in the air to dry the ink. It smudged. Maybe he should invest in a stamp of his signature? He'd been doing this for seventeen years, who knew how many times he's signed paperwork? Ren did, probably. Bless her fucking heart.

The door to Taako's office opened.

Now, Taako didn't have an open door policy. It was appointment only, even for professors. Ren was the exception, and also visiting family. Not because Taako was getting soft, but he wasn't about to try and stop Magnus from entering a room, and a good portion of his immediate family could open a portal directly into his office anyway. Although, right now Taako was so bored he wouldn't be opposed to getting distracted by faculty.

A man walked through the door. Young, but not a child--twenty-nine. A baby if he were an elf, but this man was a human. He had about an inch of height on Taako, but still slim--probably hadn't drank a protein shake in his life. Tight, dark curls that clung to his skull. Round glasses that always demanded to be pushed farther up his nose. Dressed very well, with a wand hanging from his faculty lanyard. A stone of Farspeech that moved nervously along his palm, soft grooves in the top where fingers have worried into for years. Bright eyes and bright smile, always holding a bit of boyish wonder, no matter his age.

"Hello, sir," he said, in a voice that would never stop being so uncannily deep.

"Doctor McDonald," Taako said, feigning disinterest, "Do you have an appointment?"

"I never do," Angus said, grinning as he shut the door. "Could I ask you a favor?"

Taako waved his hand dismissively. "Your students are _not_ going on that field trip to Miller's broken lab." He chewed on the edge of his pen. "I don't care if it's a _lesson on botched transmutation,_ there's no way we'd get the permission slips for that shit."

"That isn't what I came to ask about." Angus walked up to Taako's desk and leaned over it. A bold move for anyone that wasn't the dean's son. Suddenly, his voice quieted and he glued his eyes to the floor. "It's a personal issue."

With a sweep of the arm, Taako moved all his paperwork out of the way. "You alright, pumpkin?"

"Doing very well, thank you." He turned to look at Taako again, a look of exhaustion in his eyes that would unsettle any father. "I just need some time off."

"In the middle of exams? I mean, I'm _sure_ your students would love to have me as their substitute. What a fucking honor, am I right?" Taako tapped his pen on the desk impatiently. "What's the occasion?"

Angus hesitated before answering. "I can't tell you until the paperwork goes through."

"Gotcha, gotcha, ominous as _fuck."_ Taako's leg bounced from under the desk, but he gave no other indication of how terrified this made him. "And...how long will you be gone?"

"Um." Angus fiddled with the stone in his hands, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure yet? I'd rather discuss that after the semester has ended."

Taako stared at him for a long time, hoping he'd find _some_ clue as to what was going on. But, no, Taako wasn't the world's greatest detective, and he came up with nothing. "As long as you're still available to come to Candlenights."

Angus brightened up. "Of course. In fact, um, I think I'll drop by a day or so early. Is that alright?"

"Mhmm, I'll clear a room for you and your man."

"Thank you, sir." Angus slipped the stone back into his pocket and backed away, towards the door. "I'll go ahead and finish th--"

"No, you take the rest of the day off." Taako sighed, waving his hand in the air. "Something's obviously eating at you."

"Was it that obvious?" Angus laughed, high and nervous. "Thank you."

"Not doing it for you. I'm just tired of signing all these papers." Taako stood from his desk and came to meet Angus face to face. Or, not exactly face to face--somehow, this little _twerp_ grew up to be taller than Taako, even if he wore heels. "Hey, if I cast an illusion on myself to look exactly like you, how long d'you think it'd take for your students to recognize me?"

Angus grinned. "Briony casts True Sight at the drop of a hat, you wouldn't last an hour."

"Wanna bet?"

"No offence, sir, but I would rather give Garfield both my legs than make a bet with you."

Taako blew out a breath, hands on both his hips. "I don't cheat _that_ much."

"I didn't accuse you of cheating," Angus said, flashing a recording device that rested on the interior of his vest. "But now I finally have proof that you do."

It took a good few moments for Taako to mentally process what just happened. He blinked, stared at the recording device, and then pointed at Angus. "Why'd you come into my office with a wire on?"

"In case you decided to change your mind about the time off later." Angus closed his vest up and snickered. "No, the courthouse wants to make sure I'm not doing anything dangerous. It's mostly a formality."

"What _are_ you up to?"

"You'll see." Angus winked and opened the door. "I should get going."

Taako gathered a few supplies out of his office. "Lemme walk you out," he said, fastening a components pouch to his belt. "Your room is right next to the entrance anyway."

Angus nodded, and waited at the door. Once Taako had all his shit, he walked outside with Angus and locked the door to his office. They both waved at Ren as they passed her office, and made their way to the entrance. Angus' husband, a soft looking orc that Taako actually approved of, waited for him at the entrance. Angus gave Taako a hug and said he was fine walking himself out. Taako didn't say it, but he didn't want to let go. But he did, because he was merciful, and shooed his boy off with feigned indifference.

"Thank you, sir," Angus said once more as he left. "I swear, you'll like this surprise."

* * *

Three days before Candlenights, Taako opened his door to find Angus McDonald, his husband, and two children: drow, no more than ten months old, and definitely twins. Both were perched precariously on Angus' hip. One was stranger shy, face buried in Angus' jacket, one eye peeking out cautiously. The other was more curious, cooing and grabbing at anything within their reach, ears twitching without control.

"Someone left them at Istus' temple--the one four blocks from the school--and I, uh..." He shifted his hips, and the two held on tighter in response. "We spent an entire afternoon at the courthouse trying to figure out if they had any family, and when everything came up negative we filed for--"

"Angus--"

 _"Adoption_ , and, it all went through, so they're--"

"I got it, you want to make Taako feel _old,_ turning me into a fucking grandpa at _two hundred and fifty."_   Taako eyed both of the kids. The two looked like they could support their heads on their own, so they weren't too young. They'd probably be walking in a couple months. They both looked to be girls, although Taako knew from experience that might not be the case. He grabbed for the energetic one, kissed her forehead as he took her in his arms. He called out behind him. "Lup? Is Lup in this plane? Fucking hell--Kravitz, get Lup, I don't give a shit if she's at work--family emergency, file that in your goth paperwork hell or something."

"Is everything alright?" Kravitz asked from the other room.

"Everything's _fine,"_ Taako said, blowing a raspberry onto the baby's cheek. She laughed and babbled, and _damn,_ that was cute. She didn't need to be cradled with both arms, but Taako did have to support her with an arm under her butt. He sat down on the steps to the second floor, motioning for Angus and his husband to step all the way into the house. "Angus just decided to give me a _fucking heart attack_   for Candlenights."

Kravitz ran in at the mere mention of heart attacks. Before he could get a question in, his eyes went to the baby pulling at Taako's earrings. He melted like a stick of butter in lava, walking right up to Taako and attempting to take her from him. His voice went soft, slipping right into baby talk. "Hello, baby--"

Taako held the child closer, grimacing. "Get your own, _holy shit!"_

Angus rolled his eyes and plopped the second baby into Kravitz' arms. She whined when removed from Angus, but Kravitz sat down and got to work winning her over. The baby Taako had was already in love with him, naturally. And in love with his earrings. She had quite the grip, but Taako wasn't enough of a monster to push away his granddaughter for doing something every baby does.

"Can't wait to hear you two fight over grandpa names," Angus said. He took the baby bag from his husband's arms and the whole family moved to the living room. Easier to hold babies when they were in actual seats, and not squatting on the stairs awkwardly.

"You kidding? If they don't call me _sir_ I'm suing them." Taako took his earrings out, tired of the pulling. The baby whined in protest until she realized she could pull his hair instead. Taako yelped, bouncing the baby in his arms to distract her. "This one is...?"

"Charlie." Angus sat next to Taako. "And that's Cooper over there."

"Charby and Coops, got it." Taako threw his hair over his shoulder, but as soon as his ears came into Charlie's view, she pulled on one. At least she wasn't strong enough to do any real damage. "Krav, I'm serious, if you don't get Lup over here right now I'm going to _explode."_

"You could just _call her,"_ Kravitz said, cooing and making faces at Cooper until she smiled up at him. "I'm _busy."_

Taako grit his teeth, trying to gently nudge Charlie away from all the dangling bits of his clothes. "And I don't look like I'm busy? If I got out my stone, this one would probably try to _eat_ it."

"I'll call." Angus dialed Lup on the stone. He put her on speaker. "Aunt Lup, if you're not busy with work, Taako needs you here."

With a chime and a flash of light, Lup's voice poured out of the stone. "What's up? Something wrong?"

"No, he's just very emotional." Angus grinned in Taako's direction. Usually Taako would snap at him for teasing, but he had an arm full of granddaughter and he didn't want to rock the boat. "I didn't think he'd get so attached to the kids so quick."

"Ki--" Lup paused, but Angus could hear her wicked grin through the stone. "I'll be right over."

Sure enough, a rift in space and time appeared in the living room right after Lup hung up. The process was so normal in this family, nobody even bothered to look up at the rift. Angus and his husband did give a little wave to Lup when she came into view, but Taako and Kravitz were too occupied to say hello.

"So, what's the sitch? There's kids here?" Lup located the babies Taako and Kravitz held in their arms and pointed to them. "Who's kids are those?" she asked, although the look on her face showed that she already had a good guess.

"Ours," Angus' husband answered, his voice spilling over with pride.

"Well, no wonder you called!" Lup grinned down at Taako, probably thinking of a hundred different ways to tease him later. He didn't care. She stepped all the way through the portal and plucked Cooper out of Kravitz' arms and sat next to Taako. "Nope, this one's mine."

Taako turned, saw Cooper in Lup's arms, and pointed to her. "Hey, same baby!"

"Same baby!" Lup laughed and waved.

Kravitz scoffed, shooting a disbelieving look to Angus. He only shrugged in response. "Sorry, I only have the two."

"She was really starting to like me," Kravitz mumbled, crossing his arms.

 _"Excuse_   me for wanting to meet my grand-niece." Lup bounced and cooed at Cooper, who stared up at her suspiciously. Seemed like she wasn't too fond of strangers. "Is that the right word?"

Angus thought about it. "I don--"

"Scratch that, I don't care." Lup brushed a wisp of hair away from Cooper's forehead and kissed her. She looked up, saw the sour look on Kravitz' face, and stuck her tongue out at him. "Fight me if you want to have a turn with her."

Kravitz nodded and removed his earrings. "Fine, let's take it outside."

"What, and let go of the baby?" Lup grinned. "Fat chance."

Angus' husband leaned over in a false whisper to Angus, loud enough so the rest of the room could hear. "Are they going to fight over them forever?"

"I'd bet money on it," Angus said, at the same volume. Lup snorted.

The orc laughed and stood up, walking over to pat Kravitz on the back. "I've got to warm some bottles up. Do you want to come help, since these two stole the girls?"

Kravitz paused for what felt like a full minute, but what was probably a quarter of that, and gestured to himself. "You're asking _me_   if I want to help _warm_ the bottles."

"Well, it'll cool them down faster if you're holding them." He reached down to grab the baby bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll have to wait a few minutes until they aren't boiling anymore. They can't be too hot."

"Alright." Kravitz pointed at Lup, as threatening as a man who kept babbling at his granddaughter five minutes ago could possibly be. "You're off the hook _for now,_ Lup."

"You're feeding them? Good idea, this one would eat my hair if I let her," Taako said, not even bothering to watch the two leave the room. All his attention was on the baby. And the baby Lup held. She fussed and whined a bit as she watched one of her dads leave the room. "You sure you're feeding them enough? They're kind of light, aren't they?"

"The doctor said they were a bit underweight, so we're trying to get them up to the average."  Angus frowned, his hands clasped together. "We don't know how long they were at the temple."

"Hmm, guess your birth parents were kind of shitty," Lup said, trying to comfort Cooper. Still restless since her dad was gone. "It's fine, you've got two nerd dads."

"I'm just glad we found them before anything bad happened," Angus said, a tinge of anxiety in his voice.

"You said they were at Istus'?" Taako tried to speak evenly, but it was difficult--the baby tried to tear off his nose with her hands. "We'll have to drop an offering by next time we--"

Cooper, who had stayed mostly quiet for the whole visit, burst out in a wail. She wasn't crying, just screaming and reaching her little hands out towards the door. Charlie's head turned on a swivel towards the noise and she tilted towards her sister, arms out.

"Oh, c'mon, what's up?" Lup bounced Cooper in her arms, trying her best to calm her. "Little bit fussy."

"She doesn't like it when either of us leave the room," Angus said, standing up to take Cooper from Lup. She calmed down instantly and grabbed at Angus' face. She was a lot more social with her dad than she was with either Lup or Kravitz, settling into his arms immediately. "She attached to us real quick."

"That's sweet," Lup said, though it was obvious she wished she was still holding the kid.

Angus kissed her cheek and held her close to him. "Sure, but we can't both be in the same room with her forever." 

"She'll calm down," Taako said, unconcerned. "You _just_ got her, she's probably scared."

"Yeah..." Angus looked off into the blank space in front of him. Lost in his own thoughts. Taako had known him long enough to know when his thoughts edged towards destructive. Probably not good for him to do that while holding his new kid. Taako was always a fan of the hands-off parenting approach, but this wouldn't be parenting anymore, would it? It would just be two adults talking through something.

Taako tapped Lup on the shoulder. "Lup, you've got full permission to go and tease the shit out of Kravitz. Right now."

Lup looked between Taako and Angus. She could read between the lines; Taako needed a chat alone with Angus. Even though she would have to leave the babies, she'd be able to see them later. She stood up and grinned. "Will do."

As soon as Lup left the room, Taako turned his attention back to Angus. He scooted across the couch, holding Charlie closer so she wouldn't fall. "You doing okay?" he asked, in the voice he used in the rare moments he had to be serious with Angus.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good, it's just--" Angus fidgeted a little, readjusting how Cooper sat in his arms. "Just a little nervous."

"Ah." Taako looked down at Charlie, who still had her eyes fixed on her sister. "I mean, yeah, can't fault you there."

"Right?" Angus cracked a smile. He laid Cooper in his lap. She sat upright easily, but he still held his arms around her like a seatbelt. "Does anybody ever know what they're doing with this?"

"I knew exactly what I was doing, don't know what you're talking about," Taako said, grinning like he was up on stage. Angus stared at him until Taako deflated and shook his head. "Okay, fine, no. Your old man didn't know _everything."_

"I knew it," Angus said, a joke delivered flat and humorless.

"But it's not like you've gotta know everything at once, y'know? Like, half the problems I thought you'd have didn't even fucking come up."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "I thought you were gonna get yolked."

"Sir, what made you think that?"

"Uh, when you--before the court case, me and the other horny boys sort of--uh, there was some crazy high school adventure shenanigans and you were fucking huge. Bigger than Magnus. But that didn't, uh, happen. That's why Magnus doesn't let you have protein shakes." He laughed, and Charlie turned her head to stare up at him instead of at her sister. Taako frowned. "But, listen, it's--I guess it's normal to be, I dunno, nervous? About this?"

Angus let out a very long, very tired breath. "It just feels like a lot."

This was Taako's least favorite part of parenting. Trying to get to the bottom of what Angus was really thinking. But he did it anyway, because he knew it would blow up in his face if he didn't, and he really did love Angus too much to let him go without some help. "What specifically?"

"I--thought it might be irresponsible of me to take them in, because they're considered children for so long, but..." He trailed off into silence, hoping the sentence would finish itself.

"They're always welcome here, Angus or no Angus." Even though the thought of No Angus tore Taako's heart in half. "Although, if they're anything like their dad, they'll be pretty independent by then."

"Oh, gosh." Angus laughed, a bit too shaky and high. "I'm still getting used to that one."

"What, _dad?"_ Taako snorted and shook his head, laughing it off. "You've got a few years to adjust to it."

Angus' brows knit together and he tilted his head to the side. "Sir, they--it doesn't take that long? They'll start learning words in a few months."

Taako drew out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. Charlie cooed up at him, wanting to eat the hair. "Oh, _fuck."_  

"Right?" Angus laughed, a bit less forced than his previous one. He looked down at Cooper and his eyes went soft. He really did look like a dad, here. "How did you...uh, deal with taking me in so suddenly?"

"Honestly, you were easy mode, as far as kids go. Most trouble we had with you was, like, the way you tried to be an adult _too fast."_ Taako elected to ignore the smug grin Angus passed over to him. "Other than that, I guess--I was just relieved you were in a safe place? After that little scare you gave us for an entire month." 

"Oh. Well, gee, I was hoping for a little bit--maybe, some more substantial advice?" He stared off into space again, and Taako knew that look on his face--hoo boy, this was going to be a conversation. "Or something that applies to the fact that I just adopted two kids out of nowhere? Oh, shit, this was a bad idea, wasn't it?" Angus held Cooper closer to him, bordering on too tight. "I shouldn't have done that, it was--I don't know what I'm doing. They're going to--I'm going to mess up and they're going to hate me for it."

"You're spiraling, kid."

"You're right." He snapped out of it and loosened his grip on Cooper, gently smoothing the small hairs on her head down. "Sorry, sorry I--this is big and I don't know what's going on." Angus forced himself to take in a breath. "Nerves."

Taako frowned. "Having second thoughts?"

"No! No, no, not at all." Angus held Cooper closer again, as if Taako just threatened to take her from him. "It's just--I guess most people have months to prepare for children, but, I just sort of...skipped that part." He looked back down at his kid and smiled at her. "I'm fine, I want to do this, it just. Happened so fast. I wanted to take care of both of them the second I saw them. I just...don't know if I'm doing it right."

"Okay." Taako could deal with this. This might be easier than he imagined. He scooted over and gestured to the empty spot on the couch. "Alright, sit down. Right here."

Angus stood up and filled the space. Once the twins were close enough, they started babbling and grabbing at each other. Taako couldn't help but smile a bit at that--too cute. Both Angus and Taako readjusted the twins so that they sat next to each other in the empty space between them, like a generational family sandwich. Even though they could sit upright, Angus and Taako had to keep a hand on each of their backs so they didn't sway too far backwards.

Once the girls were settled, Taako glared at Angus. "Taako's going to say a few things that never leave this room, got it?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Listen, my childhood was a fucking garbage dumpster fire. Like, maybe I should have gone to therapy for that? Fuck, I think of these things too late." Taako clicked his tongue, realized he was getting on a bit of a tangent. "Anyway, it was--I saw, sort of, the bullshit you were about to jump into after the apocalypse, and. I've--said this to you before, sort of, but I knew I wasn't going to be a good--a good, uh, I guess, _dad--"_

Angus shook his head, interrupting him. "Sir, I couldn't have asked for a better life with you--"

 _"Hush,_ it's--you don't have to flatter me, kid, I know--like, I guess, you turned out pretty great. So. I couldn't have done too bad." He stayed silent for a long time, trying to collect his thoughts. "I guess I'm just trying to say. You, uh--you had a shitty beginning. And, I wanted to give you something better than I had." Taako looked down at the twins, who were grabbing each others' feet and sticking them in their mouths. "Why'd you take the girls?"

Angus looked down at both his daughters. He had to push Charlie away from eating Cooper's sock. "I, um. I was afraid they'd be placed into the system, and, I don't know, I don't have the greatest faith in the judicial system, it's been wrong a lot of times--"

"Yeah, they almost put you up with a fucking felon," Taako said offhand. They didn't speak of the trial much anymore. It was a distant memory, but he still hated Violet McDonald's fucking guts.

Angus just nodded, not wanting to speak of his blood aunt anymore. "I just. When we took them to the station and nothing came up, no birth certificates, no parents, nothing--they were going to. To give them away, and." He frowned, face twisted up in frustration. "I think both of us realized we couldn't let that happen."

"Sort of seems like you're on the right track, there..." Taako looked down at the twins. "They might have gotten separated."

"That's what I was thinking." Angus paused, running his hand over the fine hairs of Cooper's head. She looked up at him and wailed excitedly, like all children did when they didn't yet know how to accurately show happiness. "And I--I was about to hand them off, to be taken care of, but I couldn't. I don't know why, but. Um. I just couldn't let go."

"Well, Angus," Taako said, reaching forward to lay one hand on Angus' shoulder, "that was about as correct as you could get with that answer."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Again, listen, this doesn't leave this room or else you die, but. When you, uh, when you told me about your shitty aunts, and your court summons, I just. Couldn't. Let that happen." Taako let go of Angus. "I guess the heart of the matter is, uh, you don't have to be perfect. Or the best. You've just got to be better than what you had before. And. I guess since you had me, the bar on that's going to be pret-ty high." He grinned, pointing a finger right at Angus. "But I know you'll do it, because, shit, you're Angus McDonald and Taako didn't raise a fucking chump."

Angus smiled. "Yes, sir."

"And you've got backup." Taako leaned back into the couch, pulling Charlie up into his arms again. "Not like you're a single dad, and you've got enough extended family to fill a stadium."

"Of course, sir," he said, and Taako mercifully ignored the waver in his voice. Didn't want to deal with a crying Angus on top of all of this.

Taako booped Charlie's nose and she laughed. "And if you don't bring them here for visits at least once a week, I'm going to _die,_ capiche?"

"It may have to be more than once a week for a while." Angus reached down to pull Cooper closer to him. "Dad and Aunt Lup might tear them in half trying to get a turn."

"Yeah, well, babies're _designed_ to be cute so you don't kill them." Taako planted a raspberry on the baby's cheek.

"Do you think they are?"

Taako stayed silent for a long time, just staring at his granddaughter. "I mean, they gotta keep up the family beauty standards, right?" he asked, although it was difficult to hide the pride bubbling up in his voice.

Angus stifled a laugh. "Sir, none of us are related by blood."

"Yeah, and you still came out pretty, so, obviously it runs in the family."

The door creaked open behind them, and Angus' husband came through with the bag. Kravitz and Lup followed close behind, cautiously entering the room. Didn't look like they wanted to crash an intimate father-son moment.

Angus' husband rounded the couch and picked Charlie right out of Taako's hands. "Sorry if we're interrupting something, but I've really got to feed the girls."

"You better, they're so light." Taako mercifully let the orc take her away. "As soon as they get on solid foods you've got to call me."

"As if you wouldn't be there the first time we try that." Angus reached over and got an extra bottle from Kravitz. "And don't try to slip them anything until we get them up to the goal, we really have to monitor everything they're taking in."

"No fun."

"I'm their dad, I'm not supposed to be fun." He tipped Cooper back in his arms and held the bottle out for her. "Or. At least not when they're sick."

"Not bad." Taako gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and stood up. "I'm gonna go see if I can't get some real food into a paste for 'em. They'll take weight on quicker if they get shit other than formula."

"Thank you, I think that might work." Angus turned his head over the back of the couch to watch Taako. "You'll write down everything you put in it?"

"Yes, I suppose I can play by _your rules."_ Taako rolled his eyes, but was relieved Angus had a plan and knew what he was doing. It'd be fine. "Still can't stop me from trying to fill in those cheeks though."

"I'd like that too," Angus said, holding Charlie closer.

And, fuck it, if that wasn't the final nail in the coffin for Taako. Just--the whole sight of his son, being a dad, probably about to do a much better job than Taako did raising him. It was too much, and Taako was always prone to little bouts of honesty when faced with an emotional override. Fuck it, didn't matter if other people were in the room to hear, Taako had to say _something._

"Those two are going to have the best dad in the multiverse," is what he settled on, walking through the door to the kitchen. "They're going to be _amazing."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's OVER, YA'LL
> 
> i was going to post this tomorrow and. well. i don't have self control. so here this is. i didn't think it'd be this big when i started out--well, I knew everything that was going to happen, but i didn't think it'd take me so many words to get there! but i'm happy with how it turned out. 
> 
> let me go ahead and thank everyone who commented, and everyone who shared this with a friend or loved one--and especially those who were squeamish about the tags but read anyway. thanks so much to all of you! i told you it'd end happy! 
> 
> [EDIT] I know I said before that there'd be a sequel but...I'm not 100% sure there will be anymore! not because I don't know what I'd write, but I think I'm running out of fanfiction steam and I'm not super excited to write it. This was one of my older fics and I'd feel better to just leave it be. Sorry about that! 
> 
> oh, also, i'm at fantasysamsclub on tumblr if you have any questions or if you just want to scream at me! thanks everyone!


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